New Britain herald., 1929-06-15

VI fe
 City in Dissrace But : 5000 People Watched
 His Triunphal Return.
 .DY. CI1ARENCE BARNES
 When the Hoaton-New York air man. winns it's way over the 'south- ern. sectjan of New Britain tonight. its rGasags wilt hardly be noted by the average citizen. If one of the huGs. trt.motor planes flies ever the city this afternoon, 1t will not cause the slightest ripple of excite meat. s
 But 1S years ago the announce niSnt in the Herald that Charles K. Hamilton would fly his aeroplane here appeared a front page news and set' the city agog with excite ment. And when the event came oft on the scheduled day every man, woman and child in New Britain who could eet outdoors. and all the nsixhbors who could crowd into the city. saw the first flight in Con- necticut
 The passing years have made us blase to the wonders Of human flight and perhaps forgstful that q local boy. . score of years ago. was the Lindbsrgh of his day. But if we ars prone to neglect tho memory of Charlie Hamilton. the followers of modern aviation keep him in: mind. He is often recalled by magazine writers who give 'C. K."- much credit for the early development or flying technique.
 Was Dixon's ldoa
 :. Better than that. the spirit or Inc first American ace still scars in the air,. inherited by Lieut.. Carl A. DIX on, whose abmition to fly was ac. ouired ths day he stood as small hoy on his back porch with ms mother and viewed with awe the sight of Hamilton swooptng Town over the house. .,
 T thought Hamilton would fly right in the kitchen door," said Mrs. Dixon when she told me about 1t. And then Carl looked up at me and said, Mother. some day am going to fly over your house. Ana years later he did-many times.
 Here in his native city. Hamil- tons. prestige Jagged behind the honers paid him by the flying world. And today thera is . tenden- cy. locally, to recall incidents Tn his life not as favorable to his mem ory n his achievements in aviation. It is the old story of the prophet re- eetvine scant honor in his own couatry.
 Best Fiier of His Asc
 There are those who will tell you that Red" Hamilton was wild cuss as q boy and . daredevil as . man and will discount hts flying rec ord. No doubt there are grounds for such opinions. but . search through the files of the Scientinc American and the New York Times reveals Hamilton as he was regard ed by | public that vas uninflu- enced by local prejudices. There ! found him rated as the premier iiy- CT of 1910. :.
 A break with the conventions or society was the turning point m his eareer and. though . regrettaols start. set the boy on his own. where he could do the one thing his na' ture best fitted him for-air work
 Used Umhrella- Parachute
 He had caught the air-fever when he had begge1 . balloon ride rom a pilot who vas giving an exhioi- ton at the old Berlin Fair. Alter ward he jumped with an umbrella from | window in the Burritt school.
 When he disappeared from the city nothing was heard from for . couple of years. In 1sos he first gained publicity in New York when the metropolitan newspapers noted that Charles Hamilton. . young man from Texas. had appeared in the city to fly Israel Ludlow's aero planes"
 These "aeroplanes" of Ludlow's were eIiders or mAn-carryink kites. with which the New YoFk lawyer was experimenting. His own flrst ascent in ono of them in Florida had proved disastrous and he had been partially crippled.
 Hamilton had gained fame as a balloon Jumper" in the south- vest and his reputation for daring among the craftsmen of the afr. had filtered north.
 Flew O. Kites
 In New York and at Ormond Beach. Florida. Hamilton went aloft in Ludlow's kitss. sometimes towed into the air by an auto and sometimes by . boat. Usually the kite broke loose from its 200 foot rope. tether and as there was no steering apparatus, the pilot had to accept such landings as fate willed. On these forced landings tt was Nami,ton's practice to climb to the top of the kite 70 that the Tram. work would break his fall. Ho ex- perienced s3 such descents but es- caped serious injury.
 The following year he went pack to balloons and established . repu- tatioa as the most daring parachute tumpsr of the day. Not satisfied to descend with one parachute. he often thrilled crowds by using five 'life.savers." cutting away rom one to the other on his way to earth:
 He. also sol3ed in balloons ana then 1t VAS necessary for him to hrtns the gas bag back to the ground without help. Such descenth vere regulated by . valve used to release the gaa. On one occasion when Hamilton was up 5000 feet. the valve refused to function and the daring aeronaut climbed from ASs baaka< tA thA hAR and slit the