The Washington times., 1929-07-13

had TAKEN
Until almost the last moment,
Costes endeavored to hide the fact
= transatlantic race was contem-
plated by giving his destination as
Tokyo. 1T was an open secret, how
ever. that he would head for New
York. and just after the propeller
was spun, Costes was asked again
where he was heading.
Tokyo" he said with a smile.
And then:
4No. New York;
And with those words he gave
The signal for removal of the blocks
and the great plane sped down the
runway.
Their Second Attempt
This is the second time Majors
Idzikowski and Kubala have at.
tempted a. transatlantic flight. They
set out from LIE Bourget on August
3 of last year, and were forced
down in the Atlantic Ocean so miles
west of Cape Finisterre, Spain.
Missing for so hours, they Were
finally rescued by the German
steamer Samos, which took them to
Portugal.
1t may be safely assumed that If
both sets of fliers successfully nego-
tiate the transatlantic crossing. the
Frenchmen will be easy winners OF
the race, for theirs Is much
faster plane. The Polish fliers'
Amiot is powered with q 650-horse-
power Lorraine motor, and has
cruising speed Of about 80 miles
an hour.
Lieutenant J.. Costes' plane is
powered with a 600-horsepower His.
pano-Suiza motor, and is capable
of more than 100 miles an hour
cruising speed.
Planning Two Years
The Polish aviators, who for two
years have been planning a West
to-East crossing OF the Atlantic, had
been at LIE Bourget for more than
q month prior to the start. On re-
ceiving favorable weather reports
last evening, they announced their
start would be made at dawn, and
while final preparations were being
made for the hop-off, Lieutenant
Costes and his mechanic arrived
from Villacoublay.
-Costes refused any statement
concerning his plans, but from the
activity about his plane it was
obvious a. take-off was planned
within a few hours. He steadfastly
refused to reveal his destination at
all until a short while before the
start, when he informed watchers
at the field he would head for
Tokyo.
The Polish flight is being made
in q plane christened the Marshal
Pilsudski, in honor of the former
dictator of Poland. Idzikowsl1i and
Kubala revealed they intended to
make the flight by way Of the
Azores, although no stop is planned.
1t Is expected the French will fol-
low a similar route.
The Marshal Pilsudski carries
$500 htres of gasoline and the
Question Mark 5,400.
without Ceremony
II Mechanic Bellonte was the first
of the four TRANSATLANTIC aspiranIs
to arrive on the field. He drove up
in an automobile about $3.50 a. M
washington time), and was fol-
lowed at short intervals by the
other three. The planes were given
a final examination, food supplies
were loaded aboard, and then, with
an entire absence Of ceremony, the
Poles gave the signal for their
take-off.
Forty minutes later, the French
men started, also with the same
absence Of fanfare. A mere hand
full of persons gathered on the
field in the chill morning mist saw
the take-offs, and although these
cheered valiantly as the planes got
under way, these two flights uIl-
doubtedIy set a record for best and
virtually unwitnessed beginnings.
Costes and Bellonte were consider
ably disappointed that the Polish
filters obtained a start of 40 minutes,
as they apparently had planned to
hop off almost simultaneously. How.
ever, trouble was found in the
gasoline feed pipe of the French
plane, necessitating half an hours
delay.
Weather Favorable
Late weather bulletins obtained
by the filters Immediately before
the start indicated favorable condi-
tions would prevail for at least
several hundred miles out over the
ocean. The wind was from the
northeast and moderate In strength.
All four men concerned in the
daring attempts have had years Of
aviation experience, and are rated
among the finest airmen of their
respective nations. Idzikowski and
Kubala are the deans OF the Polish
army flying corps. And their flight
il being made with the full sane.
tion and cooperation Of the Polish
government.
This attempt is aimed at weld
ing of relations between the United
States and Poland, and the govern
ment of the latter nation has given
the fliers every aid to make the
flight a success.
Both Carry Radio
Lieutenant Costes has been as
ISOLATED with Lieutenant LIE BIlx,
another prominent French aviator.
RA.@