The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-11
INSISTS FLIGHT
IS PROBABLE IN
NEAR FUTURE
Rapid Progress of Aviation
Path to Miracles, Says
Speed Ace.
: WEATHER BIGGEST PERIL
Cites Post Gatty Flight
Major Step Toward
Accomplishment.
BY DEXTER II. TEED
NEA Service Writer

Frank Hawks, speed king Of the sky
ways. believes the world-girdling
record set by Wiley Post and Har-
old Gatty will be broken.
Back from Europe, where he es-
tabhshed nine new speed marks,
Hawks hoped into his ship at
Montreal and lowered the time
from there to New York.
And now this personable young
man who counts that day lost when
he doesn't hurtle through space at
nearly four miles a minute looks
at the past and predicts the fu-
ture. '
He believes that a high-speed
plane, probably with two pilots, a
reduction Of the time actually spent
on the ground, and better naviga-
ton instruments will be essential
factors in the assault on the Post
Eatty record.
And as he glances at what has
been accomplished in t he COM
paratively few years since Nellie
Bly, astounded the bicycle era in
1889 by going around the globe in
70 days 6 hours and IL minutes,
he believes progress dictates that
the mark will be trimmed down to
little more than three days,
200 NJ. P. II. Ordinary
II believe the cruising speed of
ordinary planes will be increased 80
to IS miles an hour in two years"
he declared. 1.-THE tendency is to-
ward high-speed planes, and it
won't be long until 200 miles an
hour is ordinary speed"
THAT flight of Post and Gatty
WAS a great feat" he said. mo
body can tell when it will be sur
passed, but with aviation making
such progress, it shouldn't be very
long"
And here Is what will happen
when it is broken as Hawks sees
it.:
Using high-sped plane, one as
fast or nearly as fast as his, the
record-seeking pilots must plan
everything in advance. The ship
must be re-fueled quickly at points
chosen before the beginning of the
flight. Arrangements must be made
so that one pilot can sleep in the
plane while the other directs 1t
through the skies.
Meeting the hazard of the wealth
er, the pilots will do exactly what
Hawks has done. They won't wait,
for they will be able to OUTRAGE
storms or climb above the clouds
and fog. Of course, the navigation
instruments now being improved so
rapidly will help.
Must Disregard Weather
eff they break the record they
won't be able to wait for good
weather" said Hawks. They'll have
to push on-and with one of the
slower planes, those which pull up
out Of bad-flying territory so slowly,
there wouldn't be a chance"
In the case Of Pangborn and
Herndon who will attempt to break
the record, success must depend
almost wholly on reduction of
ground time and how they cope with
the weather. Their plane is thirty
miles an hour slower than the
Winnie Mae, which spent nearly
half the time on the ground on the
world fight.
Post and Gatty averaged las miles
an hour while in the air. Pangborn
and Hernoon, however, are also
veteran flyers, and their plan is to
keep on flying with few pauses.
Aid in Latest instruments
~ They will take a chance with the
weather, and since they have nearly
all the modern flying instruments
they will be equipped to cope with
conditions in the most scientific
manner. Hawks, though, believes
they will find their slow plane a
handicap in lowering the Post
.Gatty mark.
The two F'renchmen, Joseph Le-
brix and Marcel Doret, have a fast
er plane for their round-the-world
fight, which is to start from Paris.
but flying by way of Toxic they may
encounter worse weather than they
would on more northerly route.
Their experience in being in the
air seventy hours and ten minutes
last month. when they claimed to
have broken the record for closed
circuit flying with a mark of $500
miles, will help them, Hawks admits.
Not Interested Himself
* Hawks has considered a round
Ehe-world fiight-but that is all. He
says his interest never even has
reached the planning stage. But
he is careful to say he doesn't know
what will develop in the future.
He predicts rate of 500 miles an
hour may be reached. But when?
@Bad to prophesy," is his answer.
But 200 miles an hourP That's
Sifferent That lie here