Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
Thai Speed Is Not Beyond Hope When the:
Next Schneider Race, the Wmld:S
Air Classic, Is Held ut Cozves.
Reports o. $50 Miles-an-Hour Speeds Haze
Been Received From ENGLAND, ndMany
Believe the Record viii Be
Boosted to $50 or 800.
By Donald E. Keyhoe.

a lone American hoped to pit his own prizel
racing ship.
For three years Lieut.. Afford J. williams Of
the Navy dreamed of day when he would
triumphantly wrest the world speed record
from another country and set new, astound-
ing record Undaunted by the fact that the
Navy decided against racing, he enlisted the
support of friends, designed his now famous
Mercury racer and worked for weeks trying
to have the plane pass the tests which would
allow it to enter the race as Americas repre-
sentative.
Since the moment when he entered the
Naval Air Service, Lieut.. williams, or AL, as
he Is popularity known has been a conspicu-
Gus figure. When war broke out he was O
pitcher for the New York Yankees. But he
did not go back into base ball when the armi-
stice and rehabilitation came. He had known
the thrill of flying, and the lure of the air
was too strong by that time He had already
become known as the first man to spiral a
training seaplane on its back, and the first
to perform several other difficult maneuvers.
One of these, incidentally, resulted in decreas-
ing widespread fear of a certain type Of
plane
This was heavy flying boat, which was
well known as flying coffiin," because a
large number of men had been killed in tall
spins with such planes Once in spin there
no parachutes were worn at that time there
were many fatalities.
ONE day Williams took off in a plane of
this type, climbed to several thousand feet,
and deliberately put the clumsy craft into
right tailspin. After experimenting according
to plans he had worked out on the ground
he managed to get the ship back into normal
flight. Not satisfied with that he spun it
again, this time to the left, which was more
dangerous because of propeller torque Again
he brought It out. !;
After two more spins he landed at the stas
ton beach, where doctor, hospital attends
ants with stretcher, and most of the sta
ton personnel were waiting open-mouthed.
For time there was some doubt as to
whether Williams should be censored for take
ing such chances or appauded for breaking
the spell of the flying coffin" !:
This was the beginning Of peculiar situas
ton in which "Al" has been placed When4
ever any plane shows strange and undesirable
characteristics, and no one else can determine
the cause, he is sent to find the trouble. At
one time a certain type developed a tendency
to fiat spinning" After one or two turns
of normal spin, it fiattened out and kept
on gyrating until it crashed. Several experts
mad the same bad luck, without learning the
reason. Then Williams was ordered to his
work of plane -doctoring" :.
He took off calmly, though he knew a crash
was quite probable He spun and made a
recovery. Then he tried another, longer. This
time the plane would not come out. He tried
one expedient after another. without hurry,
according to the observer with him. Then
as the plane neared the ground he signaled
to his passenger.
Throw away your goggles" he said, With
out excitement. "Put your hands in front
OF your face, so you won't get hurt We're
going to crack up-but not very hard"
He deliberately wound the plane into an
even fiatter spin so that when it came 10
earth it was descending at the slcMest pos
sible speed There was jar as tine laading
gear gave way, and both men went forward
against the instrument board Williams
climbed out. ,nrufied, and after making sure