Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.

country was resumed.
The clouds broke away finally
and there were patches Of blue.
The bombers climbed. In No. n
Corpl. Shilling pillowed his head
on a flying suit and slept peace
fully stretched out ON the floor of
the big rear compartment. Staff
Sergt. fitzpatrick, the other mem
Der of the crew, sat on the
bottom Of an upturned gasoline
pail on his parachute, gazing
without enthusiasm through the
circular wirdow beside him. The
motors droned. Corpl CuShing'S
radio antenna cleaned. Lieut..
Burnside probably folded up his
maps. The sky was nearly clear.
The sun Streamed down. Puddles
tWinkled in the fields.
The long line of hangers at
Wright Field appeared ahead; the
bomberS swung into landing
echelon out of the v formation
and went on down, led by Capt.
Hackett. They TAXED up to the
pits for fueling. The luggage was
unloaded. The pilots stretched
and yawned. An Army bus ap-
peared and took care of the lug
gage. 1t was too late to continue
on across the mountains. Take
off time was set for 9 o'clock the
next morning.
Wednesday Dawned Bright.
Wednesday dawned bright,
crisp and beautifully clear at
Wright Field, after a thunder
storm which swept down during
the night, routing out the enlisted
men and forcing them to stake
down the bomberS. The pilots,
full of breakfast, gathered around
before 9 o'clock. Corpl. Cushing
was working No. AIS radio, using
the regular loop antenna and
storage battery as the big ship
rested on the ground. Capt. Hack
EFT sat in a chair in the field
operations Office, his feet on a
table. The weather board on the
wall across from him told a dis
NAL tale. Burgess Field, up in the
at Uniontown, Pa, was
in fog. Rain was falling
all over the mountain area and
the clouds were down on the
tops. Flying conditions
were reported as dangerous. The
pilots settled down to talk or 60
over what literature the place af-
forded. Capt. Hackett folded his
hands across his stomach. Out
side the sun Shone with rare
fervor and the sky was bluer than
blue.
At 10 o'clock the Army weather
radio network went into action
again. A grey-haired enlisted
man chalked up the results on the
board. The flying con-
ditions in the mountains remained
The pilots continued
to sit. Out under the planes the
rolled certain bits of
ivory to see who should carry
home the financial plumber
Yielded up to them in Chicago.
/ Corp. Cushing beat the opera
lions Office to the II o'clock re-
port, bringing it in on a pad be-
fore the Office man chalked it on
the board. The weather was inn
proving in the mountains but still
was bad. The sun continued to
shine bravely and the sky re-
blue as blue. Some of the
mechanics also became blue as
blue. The. pilots began, without
much hope, to consider the pros
poets for lunch.
At HAS Capt. Hackett heaved
himself to his feet. Come on"
he said, and hiked away toward
the bombers. The pilots trailed
along. Capt. Hackett went to No.
Al, where Cushing was working
the radio. If the weather lifted
the bombers showed off; If it
no signs Of lifting the
pilots got lunch and another day
at Wright Field.
Load EN- Up" Hackett Orders.
Cushing hoped down through
the floor of the bomber, pad in
hand. Capt. Hackett looked at
the pad. Load 'em up" he said
to the mechanics. The worries dis
a fat roll was swallowed
up by the pocket of the heavy
winner. The motors coughed and
began to sing contentedly. The
pilots frightened their belts in lieu
Of lunch and climbed into flying
toys. The weather was lifting
over the mountains.
eff we have to land at Union
town." Capt. Hackett told the
pilots, give me plenty of room
going down. Land singly at wide
The Uniontown field
is small and one bomber at a
time is heavy traffic there. The
bombers took to the air at 1904,
settled into cross country forma-
ton and nosed to the east.
Cushings aerial fed out below the
leading plane. The sun shone
Corp. Shilling went to
sleep and Sergt. fitzpatrick sat on
the gasoline bucket by the cir
cular window. He gazed without
enthusiasm at the fiat Ohio farm
land. Overhead the sky was blue
and the SUN shone brightly.
An hour later the planes still
headed eastward under brilliant
blue skies. The horizon ahead,
however, began to take ON dirty
gray tinge. There was horizon
haze to the north and the great
white skyscraper which dominates
the downtown section of Column
bus, Ohio, doomed pale and sickly
through the haze, 80 miles away.
The planes had climbed high and
the country spread out wide a
mile and a half below. Shilling
rolled over on the other side.
Kirkpatrick lighted a cigarette
and gaZed without enthusiasm at
the landscape.
Now the country began to break