Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERTON.

White House probably will stand
~ as one of aviation's finest eX-
amples CT showmanship. It was
dramatic in the extreme, spectacular
splendidly executed and performed be-
fore an audience which could not be
improved upon in the widest dreams
OF the most ambitious Snowman.
"Of course it was just a stunt" Ray
admitted. IT wouldn't want to do it
regularly"
The stage setting was perfect The
occasion was the presentation OF the
Collier Trophy, highest American award
for aviation achievement, to Harold F.
Pitcairn and his associates for develop
ment and demonstration of the auto
giro.
On the south lawn, under the high
trees. the big bronze trophy stood on a
mahogany table. There were micro
phones, since the event was to go all
over the Nation by radio, and the talk
ing newsreel men were there in force.
PHOTOGRAPHERS and newspaper men
were on hand to send the story and
pictures everywhere. Down by the
fountain motion picture trucks stood
side by side.
The group which was assembling to
witness the presentation was most bril-
liant. II was headed by the President
There was rank enough from the Army
and Navy to give an ensign or second
lieutenant nervous prostration. The
heads of Army. Navy and Marine
Corps aviation were there, with the
Junior cabinet officers in charge OF
aeronautics. The aercnautics branch
of the Department of Commerce was
represented by its highest officials.
Foreign military and aviation attaches
were there. Former winners OF the
Collier Trophy, headed by Orville
Wright, dean of all airplane pilots,
gathered The group included many
of the most distinguished leaders OF
American civil aviation. 1t was, in
fact, so brilliant crowd that no one
even remarked the absence OF Col.
Charles A. Lindbergh.
Weather Adds Drama.
The weather added to the element
Of drama. There was a storm in the
oflng. which struck soon afterward
with gale force. The wind was uneven
and shifting around the compass quar-
ter from south to east.
The area on which Ray had to land
was painfully small. surrounded on two
sides by high, spreading trees. At the
ncrth end of the little clearing was the
White House, with radio wires on top
increasing the hazard. At the south
end was the fountain and the movie
trucks To add to the difficulty, the
lawn slopes down from the White House
to the fountain, quite sharply at points.
In making his landing Rays mind
must have been as busy as q juggler
handling dozen china plates. He had
to come In over the White House, as
close as 1t could be clipped with safety,
to hit the lawn at all. He had to
watch the veering breeze to prevent
being drifted into the trees. He knew
that he must watch most carefully for
the blanketing effect of the trees on
the wind as he dropped in through
the last few feet of his landing. Then
he had to allow for landing down hill
with moving picture trucks and the
fountain at the bottom. 1t was tough
spot and the circumstances made failure
unthinkable.
Ray realized fully just how much was
at stake and how many obstacles stood
between him and success. The slight
est miscalculation Of any Of the many
factors entering into the landing would
have resulted In failure which would
have been heard around the country
and which would probably undo the
work of years.
The Critical Moment.
Knowing all this, Ray came In quite
carefully the first time to drag the
field" and to feel out the winds. He
dropped to the level Of the tree tops,
noted that the wind was drifting him
rapidly to the west, opened up his
motor and pulled around for another
trial. On the second approach he was
much closer to the White House, but
apparently was afraid he would land
so far down the slope as to endanger
the movie trucks. He pulled up and
circled around above Lafayette Square,
north Of the White House
A third time he shut of his motor
and settled gently like a parachute,
nose held well to the east to counter
balance the drift of the wind, appar-
entity directly over the White House.
The watchers stiffened, holding their
breath. The autogiro appeared to grow
amazingly in size; the lawn to shrink.
Cameras clicked and movie cameras
whirred. Ray, coolly looking over the
side Of his cockpit, was for the moment
all his counselors.
The autogiro dropped in past the
White House portico. The trees cut of
the wind. He shifted the nose due
south. There was no sound from the
watchers, save the careramen, who
were busy people. Ten feet eft the
ground, Ray dropped the nose Just the
barest trif1e. Tail skid and wheels
struck the ground with gentle thump.
There was little puff Of brown dust
from under the tail skids and tiny
puff Of white as it crossed chalk line
on the medicine ball court. The
machine rolled a scant 10 feet, less
than fllselage length, down the slope
toward the movie trucks. There was a
sigh from the gathered notables and a
brisk round Of handclapping.
An Aviation Epic.
Ray opened up his engine, spun the
machine around and TAXED up the
slope toward the President and the big
bronze trophy. White House policemen
and White House aides kept back the
mighty as Ray came along. Twenty
five feet from the trophy he stopped,
opened and shut the throttle a couple
of times, cut the switch, locked out at
the President coming up 10 shake his
hand, grinned happily, the author Of
the first chapter in an aviation epic.
The take-of was nearly as spectacu-
lar as the landing. With the aid Of
willing hands. Ray got the autogiro
backed up 10 the gravel drive under the
south portico, warmed up his engine,
threw in the clutch 10 start his rotor
going When the rotor was turning up
about 125 revolutions per minute, he
disengaged the clutch turned up the
nose propeller and held the brakes.
With the motor roaring wide out, he
released the brakes and started rolling
down the hill toward the movie trucks.
He gathered speed, but the wheels