The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-05-24
MACHINIST AND
COWBOY NEAR
plane RECORD
Young Texas Filters Begin
Sixth Day Over Air
Field.
HANG GRIMLY TO TASK
Wives Watch AnxiouSIy at
Hangar as Men Undergo
GruelIing Grind.

BIZ United Press
FIT. WORTH, Tex, May 24.-Two
eXultant young fliers, one a former
railroad machinist and the other an
ex-cowboy, guided their monoplane
Fit Worth firmly on its montonous
course through cloudleSs sky over
N1eacham field today, their endur-
ance record goal almost in sight.
Reg Robbins, Is, and jim Kelly,
%, started their sixth day in the air
with the rebuilt plane at 1913 a. m.
today Their immediate goal is to re-
main aloft until 7:13 p. m, Satur-
day, when they would have estab-
lished a mark one hour longer than
the $50 hours 20 minutes set early
in January by the army plane Cues
ton Mark.
Considering that the Question
Mark had behind it the entire re-
sources of the United States army,
including its many crack pilots to
select from, while the two young
fiers guiding the Ft. Worth have
practically their entire fortunes tied
up in their ship and one of them
has only six months flying exper-
fence, the fight appears all the more
remarkable to those here who have
been following it.
Is Self Taught Filler
Robbins is a former railroad me-
chanic While working for the
Frisco railroad, he began tinker
ing around" with airplanes and
finally managed to buy an old army
ship. He passed his pilot test in a
short time and then took to barn
storming, working part time with a
flying circus.
He calls himself a taught"
flier, since he had practically no in
struction.
He has been doing commercial fly
ing here, having purchased the Ryan
FIT Worth plane.
Kelly is a former cowboy, work
ing on a ranch in Caddo county,
west of here. His flying experience
is limited to that obtained while at
tending the Texas airport flying
school here and what little he has
had since being graduated from the
school six months ago.
Chief among the assets required
for such an accomplishment as re-
naming aloft more than Isl hours,
the two men passes nerve, deter
supreme confidence in
themselves and their planee, and the
knowledge that all Texas is cheer
ing them" an official at the airport
here said.
Wives Watch Anxiously
Down on the ground, with eyes
strained upward, a small group
gathers at the TT. Worth's hangar
every day. They are friends of the
two f1iers, assembled to cheer two
anxious women who are under
almost as much strain as are Rob-
bins and Kelly.
These two are the wives of the
Kelly bride of six
weeks-and they are showing the
strain Of their watching perhaps as
much as are the two men. Fearful
that some disaster may overtake
their husbands, Mrs. Robbins and
Mrs. Kelly keep in almost constant
touch with the airport, telephoning
from their homes at night.
Attendants at the air field say the
two must be getting even less sleep
thar the fliers, as they call at all
hours Of the day and night Kelly
and Robbins take turns at the con-
trolls of the monopIane, sleeping as
much as possible between times in a
strung in the cabin.
The only thing that need worry
the men, ground crews say, rs failure
of rocker arms to get sufficient
1t was this trouble
which brought the Question Mark
down. But Kelly is guarding against
that. He takes precarious perch
out on the tiny cat-walk, swinging
down under the nose Of the plane to
grease the arms.
Danger Increases
AS hour after hour is added to the
planes total, the danger of some
thing going wrong increases. The
sturdy Wright Whirlwind motor
had travelled a distance equal to
circling the globe twice, before the
flight began. That the
fieis realize the danger was evil
derced by their acceptance Of para
ckutes lowered from their refuel-
ing plane yesterday.
Efforts are being made to raise
SIS, 900 for the four men engaged in
the venture. Kelly and Robbins
each would receive 5000 and K.
K. Hoffman and H. S. Jones, the re-
fueling crew, $4,000 each.