Imperial Valley press., 1929-01-04
Question Mark
Breaks Records
Continued From Page y

Q clock yesterday afternoon over
BrawlcN.
The army's giant tri-motored Fox
kcr monoplanr, Question Mark,
! cruiSed over Imperial county airport
for the first time during its engine
endurance test flight yesterday af-
| trrnoon ut 3:l5 O'Clock.
Accompanying the Question Mark
was its Douglas transport supply
| ship No. from Rockwell Field at
! san Diego. The first fuel exchange
in this region was completed with
ont miShap in mid-aftcrnOon while
' the huge golden-winged craft fought
. strong head wind over Brawley.
The fuel exchange here yesterday
afternoon was the first transfer of
gasoline and oil ever made between
two airplancS over Imperial Valley.
About 250 gallons of gasoline was
taken into the monoplanc's tanks
from the Douglas.
Capt. Il. &. lIoyt, pilot and com
mandcr of the supply ship, reported
| that the air was rough and ncceS-
STATED the use of greatest care in
FLYING the two machines so close to-
| gethcr.
Almost with the arrival here of
the Question Mark Il strong wind
sprung up from the coast region.
/ The endurance plane was forced
over the mountains and into this
vicinity by togs. heavy winds and
! other adverse weather conditions
existing along the ships original
course between Los Angeles and san
! Diego.
As the Question Mark flew over
the county flying field at an alti-
tude of about 1000 feet the large
. - painted in yellow on the sides
Of the olive drab colorcd fusclagc
could be plainly seen from the
ground.
At intervals throughout last night
! the dronc Of the plane : thre" mo-
tors could be heard as it passed over
the city. \ definite course for the
Imperial Valley cruise was not laid
/ cut by flight officials and the plane
uasscd back and forth between the
| Mexican border and Salton Sea.
Stay Here UnknoWn
No definite length of tine for tho
Question Mark to remain over the
valley was set and if weather con
/ ditions improve on the coast today
or tomorrow the plane will be head
! ed westward Immediately.
That information was gathered
/ late Yesterday from flight officers
stationed here when Maj. Spatz.
/ commander of the Question Mark,
| dropped a message at the airport
requesting reports on coast weather
/ conditions for this morning.
During the afternoon yesterday
the Fokkcr hucked strong winds,
! but as darkness approached the
! wind died down. \ fresh breeze
| blew throughout the night but was
said not to be of sufficient force to
cause difficulty in plotting the en-
/ durance test plane.
The pilots of the Question Mark
were assisted in their night flying
by the new flood light at the air
port and the beacon scarchlight atop
the Imperial theatre here which
burned until dawn so that the avia-
tors could tell the height Of the
valley "cciling.'
Another 30 gallons of gasoline
and a supply of oil was taken aboard
the Question Mark at about II
O'Clock last night while the mono
plane and Douglas were in the south
end of the valley near the border.
In general command of the fuel
base here was Captain H. NJ. Elmcn-
dorf. Other army flyers stationed
at the airport were Licuts. II. {.
I.ichtrnbcrgcr, II. G. Baxter and Il.
W. Stewart and Sergeant y. F.
Roth. Elmcndorf and Roth came in
n pMND lob. sinilar 10 die SMnplv