Evening star., 1930-06-09
Mark for All Types of Air
craft Is Established at
43,166 Feet.
CHECK OF BAROGRAPHS
REVEALS NEW FIGURES
Flyer Believed He Had Exceeded
Germans Height, but Not
Enough to Claim Honors.

Official checking of the paragraphs
carried by Lieut.. Apollo Soucek on his
altitude flight from the Anaccstia Naval
Air Station last Wednesday afternoon
shows that in reaching the height OF
43,166 feet he smashed all altitude
records for aircraft of all types and has
assured his official worlds record with
a margin of 1,044 feet to spare, 1t was
announced today by the Bureau OF
Standards.
The announcement came as one OF
the greatest surprises in the history OF
altitude flying in this country, since
barograph checking usually reduces the
indicated altitude recorded by alti-
meters.
Lieut.. Soucek, following his fight,
sibility he had exceeded the standing
altitude of 1,794 feet established last
year by Will Neuenhofen of Germany,
but he attached so little confidence TO
this possibility that he Immediately
made plans to try again, making anoth-
er effort, which was unsuccessful, on
the following day.
Describes Attempts to Rise.
Under the international regulations
governing altitude records, Soucek had
to exceed the old record by at least 100
meters to establish a new official rec
ord. This required that he fly to an
altitude of at least 42122 feet. His
altimeter, he said following WedneS-
days flight, hovered for 20 minutes be-
tween Al 500 feet and $4,000 feet as he
tried to force the little plane higher
On occasions, he said, the needle, which
faltered and trembled, seem to pass the
AZ 600 mark. though by how much he
could not tell exactly.
Recognition of the record as official
by the Federation Aeronautique Inter-
rationale, now regarded as certainty,
will give Lieut.. Soucek his second world
record. He is holder of the world sea-
plane altitude record, made year ago
last Wednesday in the plane he used
last week, with pontoons replacing the
land wheels.
This will be the second time. Lieut..
Soucek has held the world altitude rec
ord. A year ago last month he estab-
lished a new record, which he lost only
II days later to Neuenhofen.
Passes Unofficial Balloon Record.
In climbing to 43,166 feet Lieut.. Sou
eek passed for the first time in history
the unofficial balloon record established
by Capt. Hawthorne c. Gray, Army Air
Corps, who died on a flight during
which a check of his paragraphs showed
he rose to an altitude of 42,47O feet.
This record never was official, however,
since the rules of the F. A. L. require
that the pilot must be in control of his
craft upon landing.
Soucek experienced the lowest free-air
temperature ever recorded in an air.
plane flight. An automatic continuous
temperature recorded on strut of his
plane showed a minimum temperature
of 81 degrees Centigrade or SO degrees
below zero Fahrenheit, according to
Lieut.. w. G. Brombacher, chief of the
aircraft instrument section of the Bu-
reau of Standards
Celebration of Lieut.. Soucek's baro-
graph by H. B. Henrickson of the Bu-
reau of Standards, who was official
observer of the flight for the Fedora
ton Aeronautique Internationale and
the National Aeronautc Association,
showed he reached a region where the
air pressure was down to only 1l8 mill
meters. Neuenhofen reached a mini
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