Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21
Aviation
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.


4 wheel few days ago at Atlanta,
Ga, has taken on even higher
1uster in the light of information which
has reached the Department Of Com
merce through its routine investigation
Of the mishap.
This landing. executed by Jerdone
and his co-pilot, Doug Davis, has
people as one of the finest pieces of
air generalship on record.
That Jerdone, in his capacity as TAP
tain Of the ship, was able to bring the
big plane down with one side of the
landing gear crippled, without even
shaking up his passengers and with
only minor damage to the plane, was
the result of a highly clever piece of
cold reasoning, backed by mistaken
courage and excellently timed and skill
full handling Of the plane during the
critical seconds of the actual landing,
in accordance with the carefully worked
out plans.
when the heart-chilling news was
brought to Jerdone and Davis, an hour
and half before the arrival in Atlanta,
that the right oleo strut had broken,
leaving the wheel on that side dangling
uselessly, they went to work on the
problem of meeting very bad situa-
ton.
They went over together all that they
had heard of other one-wheel landings,
some of which had turned out well;
some of which had been tragic failures.
They talked over all the good points OF
such landings with view to working
out a plan for their own coming ordeal.
They realized that most of the one
wheel landings in the past have been
with smaller planes. Logic told them
that they could not expect methods
adopted for one-wheel landings with s
small, light plane to work out for their
huge ship, which weighs about eight
tons, especially since 1t carried full pas
senger load.
Pioneering in Emergencies.
They were forced to discard virtually
all they had heard Of the generalShip
Of other pilots in meeting similar
emergencies and work out their own
plan. The ordinary pilot might have
tried to float the ship In and possibly
to force 1t deliberately into ground
loop away from the damaged wheel,
since In any case q ground loop Is in
evitable in q one-wheel landing. Jer-
done and Davis decided this would not
do at ALL
After working the thing all out in
their minds they approached Gambler
Field with their plan all worked out,
each with his duties clearly defined.
rather fast, so as to retain control,
though the impression of most Of the
passengers aboard was that the land
ing speed was slow. Though Jerdone
and Davis came in at greater than the
normal landing speed of their plane
their actual speed was less than that
required for many transport planes.
They chose q fast landing so all the
controls would remain operative
through the period of the actual land
ing. As the one good wheel and the
tail wheel touched, simultaneously, in
. magnificently executed landing Davis
gathered the Dep wheel, used instead
of a stick in larger planes, tightly to his
chest and pulled all the way back. This
was done to keep the tail firmly on the
ground and prevent the plane nosing
over.
Jerdone fought to keep the right wing
and the bad wheel up as long as pos
sible and at the same time 1ammed on
the left wheel brake, not only to bring
the plane to a stop as quickly as pos
sible after the actual landing had been
completed, but also TO nullify as far as
possible the ground loop which must
bad wheel. Ordinarily jamming on the
brake would have caused the rapidly
moving plane TO nose over. It was
Davis job to prevent this by hauling
back with might and main on the con-
troll column.
Daring Plan Works.
The plan, which in several respects
was absolutely contrary to established
methods and which might at hrst
glance appear to lead to certain dis
aster, worked out perfectly.
When the right wing did drop the
forward speed had been very materially
rVSl-- al - FTaT
up into the engine nacele above, locked
and the plane executed one very fast
full turn Of a ground loop and settled
to rest. In Q ground loop q plane
usually pivots around one wing tip,
horizontally. Jerdone'S ship, however,
pivoted around the locked right wheel
and the end of the broken strut
3ammed into the ground. scufnng up
the aileron on the lower right wing.
The plane settled down contentedly,
the passengers sighed with relief and
fled out. Jerdone and Davis, sitting
Up in the nose. Of the plane, did moth
ing at all for full minute. OF what
went on in their minds during that
minute they have said nothing, but 1t
must have been one OF the minutes OF
q lifetime.
Before that moment Jerdone was
fairly well known TO group Of pilots
along the Atlantic Coast as quiet, az
fable young fellow who knew his busi-
ness. Today he Is known and Will be
known wherever his story goes, and 1t
has gone pretty much everywhere air.
men 60. as the man who made the
beautiful one-wheel landing at Atlanta.
Davis, who has been known for some
time to aviation people throughout the
country, has added much to the fame
Of his name. They both are credit
TO aviation and to American manhood.
Ocean AirmaIl Delayed.
Dissatisfied with terms OF the propo-
cal upon which bids had been invited for
the establishment Of the first link Of
proposed transatlantic airmail service,
the Post once Department has with
drawn temporarily its invitation for
bids, which were TO have been opened
December 40.
This, by no means, is to be taken as
an indication Of lesSentng OF interest
in the proposed ocean air service on
the part Of the Post once Department,
according to w. Irving Glover, Assistant
Postmaster General in charge Of air.
mail. The faulty proposals, which he
termed as Ambiguous" will be redraft-
ed and another call for bids will be
made later. based on slightly different
provisions. he said.
The action of the Post ONCE Depart
ment in taking such early steps toward
ocean atrmail has aroused considerable
interest abroad. France and Italy have
been vieing openly in plans for air
service across the South Atlantic, and
the activity Of the Germans is well
known.
In issuing its original invitation for
bids for the initial link, from New York
TO Bermuda. the Post once Department.
continued the vigorous policy which has
resulted In building up Of the remark
able South American contract airman
system now operated by Pan-American