Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19
AMERICAS BIGGEST
. AIR REVIEW IS HELD
Roaring Motors at Norton
Field Sing Requiem of
I Meadow, Dead Aviator.
BY J. s. EDGERTON.
staf Correspondent OF The Star.

field, Ohio, May 18.-The roaring
motors of 200 Army planes passing in
review in the most imposing aerial
spectacle ever seen on the American
continent. sang a requiem at Norton
Field, Columbus. Ohio, this afternoon
over Lieut.. Edward l.. Meadow, who
died q few hours earlier when his pur-
suit plane was cut in two by the pro-
..peller of another plane OF his own
squadron.
The spectacle presented as the ar
mazda of the air swept by in review IN
a tremendous l0-mile column of roar
ing formations. which dipped low over
the field and then zoomed up into the
rain and low. mlrky clouds, was awe
inspiring. The flyers, as they passed
over the field, were in sight of the spot
where the body of Lieut.. Meadow fell
in the tangled wreckage Of his plane.
Hostilities between the Red and Blue
air forces, now engaging in the annual
Spring maneuvers of the Army Air
Corps in Ohio, were suspended today
while one of the greatest of military
air forces ever gathered in the United
States took part in q demonstration OF
aerial attack at Cincinnati and the re-
view at Columbus
Combined Forces Attack.
The story of Lieut. Meadows death
was just being circulated through the
souadrons when they were ordered to
take off at l o'clock for Cincinnati,
where an attack on Lunken Field was
made by the combined air forces Of the
Red and Blue armies.
The 1st Pursuit Group. which had
been detailed to defend Lunken Field
against the raiding forces, was COM
posed Of the I'd Bombardment Group
from Langley Field, Va; the 3rd 1T
tack Group, Fort Crockett, Tex. and
the 95th Pursuit Squadron, with which
Lieut.. Meadows was flying when he
was killed.
The 1st Pursuit Group. which has
been assigned to duty with the Red
Army at Norton Field, Columbus, ar
rived over Cincinnati at 1:55 pm. and
patrolled over the city, awaiting the
overwhelming attacking force.
The writer occupied a gunner's
cockpit in the first formation of the
I'd Bombardment Group. which led
the way from Fairfield to Cincinnati.
AS Lunken Field came into view in
a bend of the muddy Ohio River, at 2
O'Clock. the bombers, in three close
formations of five planes each, launched
diving below on the anti-aircraft de-
tense, which they smothered theoreti-
cally with pail of smoke and an ap-
palling storm Of machine gun fire and
bombs.
The pursuit planes, high above the
bombers. met In a great dog" fight, as
the defending first pursuit group at
tempted to clear its way for an attack
upon the boInbardment planes.
Clear Away for Columbus.
AS is the case with such aerial at
tackS, the simulated fighting was over
/ in less than is minutes and the squad
rons began clearing away for Columbus,
their third destination in the afternoon
of flying, in which the fighting squad
rons covered the greater part of SOUTH
ern Ohio.
From the air, all the roads along the
bluffs OF the Ohio and Little Miami
rivers, overlooking Lunken Field, could
be seen swarming with automobiles,
while spectators. like swarms of vari-
colored ants could be seen on COM
r1anding. knobs, defying the rain and
: the wrath Of attacking planes.
y Following the attack the defending
first pursuit and the attacking 95th pur-
. suit, which had been tangled in swirl
ing circles a few moments before, COM
bined forces and headed peaceably over
the fertile Ohio farming land for Co
lumbus
The squadrons flew over separate
routes from Cincinnati to Columbus and
CdCiI WCUG ulVO TeIluGZVOuS over
! the various Columbus suburbs The
second bombardment group, which had
, crossed the country through the rain in
open formation, flying at an altitude
Of 5000 feet, dropped to less than 500
! feet and circled for is minutes over the
little town of Reynoldsburg, waiting to
be joined by the 18th Bombardment
Squadron from Rockville Field, Calf, to
! the great CONSERVATION of townspeople,
! farmers and livestock.
! Live Stock in Panic.
Chickens could be seen on the ground
scattering wildly under the impression
that a most tremendous hawk was COM
. ing down for supper, with themselves as
, the main course. Cows numbered in
! alarm to their sheds and probably re-
fused to give their evening quota Of
. added milk and curdled cream. Peace
/. looked for some quiet place In great
hurry.
Of against the clouds to the North,
to South. to East and to West, where
. the sooty smoke of Columbus rose like a
pail, swarn1s Of fighting planes could
be seen circling over their concentra-
: ton points. At pm. the fast black
plane piloted by Brig. Gen. Benjamin
D. Foulers, field commander of the air
two pursuit planes of his staff, led the
way over Norton Field and the squad
rons swung in column behind the bomb
ers in the van.
Passing over the field with the twin
. motors wide open the bombers barely
cleared the trees at the end of the field
. and left the gaping crowds fading into
, blur behind.
Above the field could be seen the
nf AnnQriPafc aerial 60atAra
sweeping down in a teaming crowd,
which from the bombers seemed to have
) lost all organization and formed
shifting, swarming cloud Of speeding
planes.
) There was a lull in the rain as the
formations passed over the field, but
soon afterward the rain settled down In
earnest and the big bombers plowed
through the mist and rain, hedge
hopping" trees and high buildings. At
: o'clock the formations began landing
I in order on the rain-soaked, mile-long
expanse Of Fairfield air depot, which is
one Of the largest flying fields in the
Nation.
Plane From Capital.
. While the planes were away on their
I long afternoons double mission, a tri-
: motored Army transport plane came
into Fairfield from Boiling Field, Wash
ington, with Representative Melvin j.
. Mas Of Minnesota, Hans Adamson of
) the War Department and young man
. who claimed to be stowaway and who
identified himself as Mr.. Howells."
Disturbed over the incident, the sup
posed stowaway was permitted to 60 his
! way without hat or rain coat, through
> the pouring Ohio rain and over the
sticky Ohio mud.
! The Army Air Corps expects to stage
some sort of special demonstration