Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-05
LIEUT.. WILLIAMS
GIVEN SEA DUTY
Hopes for American Entry in
Schneider Cup Races Be-
Iieved Ended.

Hopes for an American entry in the
next Schneider Trophy races, the worlds
aviation speed classic, virtually have
been blasted by the ordering to sea duty
Of Lieut.. Afford j. Williams, jr., the
Nays most famous acrobatic and speed
pilot and holder Of the United States
speed record. The orders were cleared
late yesterday afternoon and williams
is to report on Saturday for three years
duty aboard the aircraft carrier U. s. S.
Saratoga.
Lieut.. Williams, who is regarded as
one Of the best pilots this country ever
has produced, waged an almost single
handed but losing fight to put this
country In competition for the Schnei-
der Trophy last September. He was the
guiding spirit of private group which
financed the construction of a special
racing plane at the PHILADELPHIA Naval
Aircraft Factory.
The plane could not be completed in
time to make certain structural changes
which were found to be needed after test
runs on the Severn River at Annapolis,
Nd, late last Summer and the entry was
withdrawn.
Was Planning for 1891.
Undaunted by this misfortune, Lieut..
Williams and his hackers were plan
ming construction of a new racer for
entry In the next Schneider classic.
which Is not to be flown until 1881.
his assignment to sea duty, however, Is
expected to put a complete halt to
THESE preparations and leave the
United States without an entry in the
classic in which the nations will at
tempt to keep Great Britain, two
time winner of the trophy, from gain
ing permanent possession.
Tne ofncial records of the Fedora
ton Aeronautique Internationale credit
Lieut.. Williams with the maximum
speed record for the United States, a
record which he has held for seven
years. He established the present rec
ORD Tor this country in a CurtiSs rae
ing plane, equipped with q Curtiss
D-12a horsepower engine, at
Mitchell Field, N. Y, November 4, 1928
attaining q speed of 266.59 miles per
Lieut. williams also is credited with
the development of the principles of
inverted hight to point where it
promises 70 become q decisive factor
0CAAo4 he aSCQn-
ished the aeronautical world during the
national air races at Cleveland last
Fall by flying two laps Of a three-sided
closed course upside down, banking the
plane on the turns and performing all
the maneuvers of ordinary planes in
normal flight.
Developed Maneuvers.
He was the second man in the world
to perform the famous "outside loon"
and has himself developed several
maneuvers which have since become
standard.
Lieut.. Williams holds the unique rec
ord Of never having broken so much
as stick of wood on any airplane
wnlcn ne mas flown during his aero
nautical career Of Is years.
After playing professional base ball
with the New York Giants for two sea-
sons, Lieut.. williams entered the naval
service IN 1917. In 1919 he made the
first systematic inverted flight tests in
an N-9 Navy Seaplane. He has devel-
oped this method of flight steadily and
today has reached the point where in
Verted hight for indefinite periods is
possible.
In 1921 he started an exhaustive Sc
ries OF tests on the NS-2 seaplane,
which had developed spinning propen-
stiles which had cost the lives of several
Navy pilots. Lieut.. williams ascer-
tanned for the first time that tail spin
in this type of craft need not result in
a crash.