Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-17
PLANE MANEUVER T1ARDST1IPS
SIMULATE THOSE IN REAL WAR
Bitter Cold, Winds, Wasplike Pursuit
Planes, Diving From Clouds Upon Help
less Bomber, All In Days Work

feet, beyond Catlett and Nokesville, Va
Clouds blotted out great areas of land
at many points around. The "naviga-
| tor" began to have difficulties. His job
called for notation on the map every
five minutes of position, time and alti-
tude.
Railroad Fork Missing.
There should have been a railroad
fork below, but there wasn't. None of
the thread-like roads matched up with
the rather vague white lines on the
map. What few small towns there
were might have been any of several
towns on the map. Several times, just
on the verge of establishing check
between ground and map, cloud would
intervene and the chance would be
gone.
At 2 o'clock, however, there was a
large town off to the left, which might
have been either Manassas or Center
vile. There was no railroad, so Center
vile it became and was accordingly
licked off on the map. The altitude
was $3.50 feet and there was shrewd
hint of chill in the air, despite the
many clothes. Pencil went into pocket
and first into glove until the next
five minutes.
When the clock showed ::05, the aiti-
meter showed 10000 feet and the clouds
were numerous and greedy for space
below. That might be Vienna below to
the right and again it might not. The
few glimpses were not sufficient to make
certain. The embryo navigator began
to appreciate how easy it is for peo-
pie to get lost in the air.. The pencil
lowered somewhat uncertainty. Lieut..
Wood nodded and the pencil rammed
home, for better or worse The nota-
tons "2:05-10,000" were jotted down.
Back on with the glove.
Ahead the clouds broke away mo-
mentarily and at 2:10 the altimeter
the height of the Washington Monu-
ment to check the course bit. A mo-
ment later and there could be no doubt
at all about position. The clouds broke
away entirely below and there was the
Potomac, most insignificant from this
, height. Chain Bridge was almost di-
rectly below, $500 feet down, at 2:15.
Great banks and seas of clouds
stretched on an eye level, all around ex-
Clouds very high against the blue.
BY 2:2O Wisconsin avenue and Chevy
Chase Circle had wheeled by below and
We were above Kensington, Md, at
$500 feet. Ahead doomed great
mountain of a cloud, its base far below,
it's rounded dome dazzling white far
above. Directly toward it we flew
and its rounded rampartS rose higher
into the blue and more steeply down
toward the earth. A brief sensation of
impending violent impact and we were
in the cloud, dense white above, below,
all around. There was a violent drop
and we went down like an elevator, the
colder air in the cloud dropping all the
time and the plane with 1t.
Lost Altitude Like Nothing at ALL"
For a few moments we flew entirely
blind with no sight of earth or sky,
alone, walled off by clinging curtains
of white When the 2:25 check became
due. however, the cloud shredded away,
jagged bits of earth appeared below
and the two big race tracks at Laurel,
Md, stuck out like signal lamps to the
right below. We were down to 5000
feet, having lost 1000 feet of altitude
like nothing at all in that cloud.
We were very close to the line of
observation posts on the 45-mile line
from Aberdeen and Lieut.. Wood stuck
the bomber's nose up and gave her the
deeper tone. The cloud level began to
drop below. AT 2:30, near Gullford,
Md, the altimeter registered $3.50 feet;
minutes later, as Ellicott City came
into sight out of cloud below, it showed
IL 900 feet.
Feet began to ache with the dull
pain of utter cold; to open the mouth
was to gasp and choke In the teeth OF
bitter 100-mile wind. The bite OF the
air increased. The 2:40 check showed
1900 feet of altitude and thermome-
ter showed zero temperature, 80 de-
grees below freezing. Banging of feet
on the metal grating accomplished no
real good; they were dead to all human
feeling. The maximum altitude, IL ZOO
feet, was reached above West Baltimore
The clouds now became so thick there
was no need to seek concealment from
below and the nose dropped. At 2:4o
the plane was down to 1900 feet and
the clouds below were an unbroken
plain through which appeared no slight
est trace OF the earth; the plane was
the only object visible in the whole
great eXpanse. 1t was hopeless trying
TO check the map position with rela-
ton to the ground.
BY $50. however, there was break
through which glimpse of the ground
appeared 1000 feet below. Lieut..
Wood leaned on the wheel and the nose
dropped in a dive so steep that only
the safety belt prevented personal
dive into the instrument panel. The
clouds rushed up as though fired from
guns; feverish gulping relieved the ac-
cumulating pressure on eardrums. The
roar of the motors died to a whisper
due to the inability of ears to do any
thing more than struggle to accommo-
date themselves to changing conditions.
Within three minutes the altimeter
dropped to 5000 feet and we were out
below all the clouds. 1t became blessed
ly warm.
Pursuit Plane Attacks.
Then came the greatest thrill of the
flight. Lieut.. Wood dug an elbow, by
way of exclamation point, and tipped a
gloved hand. Out of white cloud came
red-nosed single-seater pursuit plane,
nose down in dive which would have
come to US as wrathful howl could we
l..