Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-05
SOUCEK POSSIBLY
MADE NEW RECORD
Naval Aviator Awaits Testing
OF Instruments After AIti-
tude Attempt.
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERToN,
Aviation Editor Of The Star.

More than eight miles above the
earth's surface, in a region of intoler-
able cold, where life itself depends upon
canned" air, alright clothing and
electrically heated goggles, Lieut.. Apollo
SUucek of the Navy yesterday after
noon fought for 20 minutes q battle Of
skill and science against nature to gain
aIew hundred feet which may mean a
new world altitude record to him and
the United States.
The results of his gallant struggle
above the National Capital are con-
densed in wavy lines traced upon two
recording drums now undergoing the
Jealous scrutiny of Government scientists
at the Bureau Of Standards. Until their
werk is completed it will not be known
whether or not Lieut.. Soucek has re-
gained the world record which he lost
a year ago to Will Neuenhofen, who
flew to an altitude Of 1,794 feet above
DeSSau, Germany.
"Soakem," as he Is known affection
ately by fellow pilots, fought his fight
unseen by human eyes, too high for
even powerful field glasses to follow
HIM. At the tremendous heights he
attained the world vanished in haze,
except for q small circular patch d.
rectly below in which rivers were barely
discernible and the National Capital
ing, on which only the widest avenues
could be seen as hairlike threads.
After nearly an hour of climbing
straight up from the AnacoStia Naval
Air Station he reached, at an indicated
altitude Of IL 500 feet, . point where
his plane no longer climbed, but seemed
to hang motionleSs on its roaring pro-
peller while powerful SuperchargerS
strieked as they sucked and pumped
the thin air into q density sufacient to
keep the straining engine working.
Altimeter Hand Unsteady.
For 30 minutes Soucek kept the
planes nose up and the engine wide
open in an effort to gain a few more
precious feet.
ss"The altimeter," he said upon land
ing, "hovered above Al 500 feet during
all this time. but the hand would not
remain steady on the indicator dial.
1t flickered back and forth, now down
to- Il 500, now up around $4,000, never
still enough to be read definitely. At
one time 1t swung up above the 10000
foot mark, but I could not keep 1t
there"
The first man to welcome Soucek
when he landed was Rear Admiral VIII
liam A. Moffett, chief Of the Navy Blu
reau of AeronauticS.
How do you feel?" was Admiral
Mofett's first question as Soucek "cut"
his motor and pulled of the grotesque
leAther mask which completely covered
his head and face.
81 feel perfectly normal, sir" Lieut..
EoaIcek replied.
s'Do you think you made the grader"
Admiral Moffett asked.
sThere Is Just q chance" Soucek
replied. eff the paragraphs worked in
the same way as the altimeter, record
ing past the 42,000-foot mark as the
altimeter did, it is possible that the
fight was successful"
Lieut.. soucek's effort yesterday after
neon may be followed by another at
tempt with new type Of propeller,
though this has not yet been deter
mined. lie has not much more time to
make another such flight, however, as
he has received orders to report for
sen duty beginning June 16. He is to
go to VF-3B fighter squadron, aboard
thu q. 8. 8. Lexington. This squadron
1sscommanded temporarily by Lieut. e.
W. Itch, who formerly was on duty
at the Anacostia station and who was
assigned by the Navy Department to
assist authorities of the District govern
1nent In making the municipal airport
survey several years ago.
Carried Heat Recorder.
Computation Of the Paragraph rec
OTds must include celebration based
upon temperature and other factors af-
fecting the delicate instruments. In
order to obtain an accurate temperature
recording during the flight II. B. Hen
r1ekson Of the aviation instrument Sec
eion, Bureau OF Standards, who acted as
ofacial observer Of the flight for the
National Aeronautic Association and
the Federation Aeronautique Interna-
ti0nale, devised small, light and COM
pact temperature recorder which was
mounted on an interplane strut Of the
altutide plane at the farthest possible
point from the propeller upstream 50
a. not to be affected by warm air from
thu engine.
This temperature recorder nrst was
used recently on an attempted womens
altitude record flight by Miss Elinor
Smith and worked perfectly on that trip,
as 1t did yesterday on the much more
severe test. The recorder consists OF
temperature sensitive unit operating .
stylus, which traces q line on q revolv-
1ng disk smoked with lampblack. The
disk Is driven by the works" Of . dol
Ian watch and the entire device Is no
Weather conditions for the flight were
almost ideal, except for o ground haze.
which obscured vision toward the hori-
Eon. The sky was cloudlesS and the
surface wind was In the proper direction
toad the take-off and landing Of the
Bw1ft-clinnbing little biplane.
Won geaplane Record.
Yesterday was the anniversary Of
Lieut.. Soucek's flight Of June 4, 1929, In
the same plane equipped with single
float type landing gear In which he
established the present worlds altitude
record for seaplanes Of $3.50 feet. On
that flight Lieut. 6oucek reported that
his altimeter showed an altitude Of only
$4,000 feet, the celebration Of the baro-
graph giving him an additional so feet.
This, however, was regarded Is unusual,
since the altimeter error usually Is in the
other direction.
Using the plane In which he new yes
terday, Lieut.. Soucek on May 8, 1929,
established q worlds record for all types
OF planes when he reached an Official
altitude of 80, 140 feet. On that occasion
his altimeter gave him q reading OF ap-
proximately 10000 feet, the celebration
costing him more than 800 feet.
Fhat record was held by Lieut.. Sou
eek only until May rs, 1929, when Neu-
enhofen established the Al, 794-foot rec
ord, which has stood for more than o
year. Neuenhofen used q Junker VISA