Evening star., 1930-04-08
HOLDS SEA ORDER
ENDED RACE TESTS.
Al Williams TestifieS New
Duties Would Have Halted
Mercury Project.

The seaplane development which he
had carried on almost single-handed for
nearly five years would have to be
abandoned if he were ordered to sea
duty and he therefore resigned from
the Navy, Lieut.. Afford j. Williams, jr.,
famous Navy racing and acrobatic pilot,
today told a subcommittee of the
Senate committee on naval affairs.
Funds raised for the development of
the Mercury racing plane which he built
to represent the United States in the
Schneider Trophy races last Fall would
be thrown away If this work were
abandoned, he declared.
Il decided when I was ordered to sea
duty by the Navy Department last
month";" Lieut.. Williams said. that
there was no hope of continuing this
work at all If I obeyed the order, which
assigned me to sea duty for three years.
I realized that absence for that length
of time would mean the utter loss Of
the project. Aviation progress is too
rapid today to permit standing still for
that length of time"
Obligated to Backers.
Lieut.. Williams said he felt an obli-
CATION to the small group Of private
citizens, who have financed his project
to carry the work through to con-
clusion. He said he feels if he con-
tinues work on the Mercury racer for
another year he either could carry it
to a successful conclusion or determine
definitely that the plane is worthless.
Lieut.. Williams declared the Mercury
Flying Corporation, a private nom
profit-making corporation, composed
largely of his personal friends, had
planned to donate the Mercury racer
to the United States Navy upon the
conclusion of the tests
TodayS hearing was confined to the
questioning of Lieut. Williams by men,
bers of the committee on the history of
speed plane development by the Navy
Department and himself during his dis
tinguished 13-year career as a naval
aviator. No other witnesses were called
today and the hearing was adjourned
shortly after noon until 1o:45 am.
tomorrow.
The Navy Department was repre-
sented by David s. ingalls,. Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy for Aeronautics,
and Comdr John Towers, acting chief
of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics.
Considers Development Necessary.
Lieut. Williams told the committee
that he is convinced personally of the
necessity for speedplane development
Il the United States is to maintain its
place in the aeronautical world. Such
development is necessary, he believes,
not only for military aviation but for
commercial air transport as well.
He told of the part he played as a
Navy pilot in speedplane development
and competition in the Pulitzer and
Schneider Speedplane classic over a
period Of nearly 10 years.
The Navy Department, he testified,
took part IN these contests until 1926,
when, following the Schneider trophy
contest at Norfolk, Va, a change of feel
ing became apparent among Navy
officials.
The question arose" he said, whether
the Army and Navy had any business
representing the United States in such
competitions. Secretary Wilbur felt
that the industry would handle the
competition and that the Navy should
withdraw"
Navy withdrawal from the Schneider
competition was ordered late in 1926,
Williams said, and he obtained authora-
zation from the Navy TO undertake
private development of a plane to rep
resent this country in the 1927 Schneid-
er classic.
He testified he was granted seven
months leave by the Navy for develop
ment of the plane, four months of this
time being due him as accumulated
leave. He raised private capital amount
ing to nearly $4,000 and formed the
Mercury Flying Corporation, he said.
He then told in detail of the difficulties
encountered in development of the
plane. which in practically every. re-
spect was pioneer effort.
Developing His Plane.
While the question Of his assignment
to sea duty came up, he told the COM
-1ittee, and it was with great difficulty
that he obtained authority to remain
ashore and continue the work.
In response to questions by Senator
Tydings, Democrat Of Maryland, chair
man of the subcommittee, Lieut. Will
lianS said that he should have had sea
duty beginning about 1922 but that this
had been postponed so he could con-
centrate on racing plane development.
In 1927, when the question of sea
duty again was raised, he said, he was
permitted to remain ashore and con-
tinue the work only because of the ac-
tive support of Rear Admiral William
A. Moffett, chief of the Navy Bureau
duty was left open, he said, until the
conclusion of his work of rebuilding
the Mercury racer for the 1929 Schnei-
der races.
He then raised another $4,000 of pri-
vate capital and began rebuilding the
plane at the Philadelphia Naval Air
craft Factory. The plane was completed
in time for tests last August at the
United States Naval Academy, Annapo-
lis, Md. These tests failed, he said,
principally because the plane was greatly
overweight.
He said he called upon Comdr. Tow
ers for Navy tug to carry the plane
back to Philadelphia, so that excess
weight might be eliminated m time to
enter the plane in the Schneider races
last September. His request never was
complied with, he told the committee,
and finally the City of Baltimore fur
nished him a municipal tugboat free of
charge to take the plane to Phila-
delphia.
HOOVER'S BIG BF