Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-23
GLOBE FLYERS SET
FOR EARLY HOP-QFF
Gatty and Post, on Way to
New York, Sure They Will
Beat DirigibIe Record.

Certainly we will make 1t we
have probably the best equipped plane
ever used in world flight and further
more we want to take the record away
from the big balloon" said Harold
Gatty and Wiley Post at the Washing
ton Airport today as they waited for
the motor OF their craft to warm up
preparatory to hopping of for New
York.
The two flyers. who arrived here yes
terday from Oklahoma via Columbus,
Ohio, expect to make a To-day trip
around the world in an effort to lower
the present record held by the Graf
Zeppelin. Post winner of last year S
Los Angeles-Chicago air derby, will
handle the controls. Gatty, a gradu-
ate Of the Australian Naval Academy,
will navigate,
Their monoplane was wheeled out Of
hangar this morning at o'clock and
one hour later Post had her OF the
ground after short run down the field
and headed Immediately for New York.
There they will confer with F. C. Hall,
Oklahoma City oil man, who is f1nanc-
ing the fight. He is now en- route
to the metropolis by rail.
Ready for Start.
Just before climbing into the cockpit
Post repeated statement made yes
terday while comforting with diplo-
matte officials here that the motor is
in perfect shape and never functioned
smoother than on the flight from Okla
hona. We are absolutely ready and
will leave New York the minute the
weather looks right After we get start
ed we will go through almost any kind
of weather"
On the entire 16o0o-mile flight they
contemplate stops only at Harbor Grace,
Newfoundland; Berlin, Moscow, Novo
Sibirsk and Yakutsk. Siberia; Nome,
Alaska: Edmonton. Alberta; Cleveland
and New York. Gasoline and oil sup
plies at these points already have been
arranged.
The flyers came here to apply, through
the British embassy, for authority to
fly over Soviet Russia and Siberia.
This permission, however, had been
granted before they set the n1onoplane's
wheels down at the Washington Air
port. At the last minute. after they
had conferred with Secretary StimSon
and other diplomatic officials, it devel-
oped through a misunderstanding, no
application had been made to Poland for
permission to fly over her territory, and
State Department officials arranged for
this permission to be given the flyers
when they reach Berlin.
May Start Tuesday.
Gatty said this morning they were
keen to get away from New York either
Tuesday or Wednesday, and immedi-
ately after refueling at Harbor Grace
they expect to take to the air for the
longest leg of their. venture, the $500
mile hop to Berlin. He said the plane
was equipped to carry $40 gallons of
gasoline and has cruising speed of $50
miles an hour.
He estimated that they have almost
a 100 per cent margin on fuel" for their
long flight to Berlin. Every article
not absolutely necessary has been dis
carded, even to their parachutes and
the engine starter.
The flyers completed arrangements
early today before going TO the air
port with the National Aeronautic As
ISOLATION for an Official check of their
departure from and return to New
York City. The plane will carry q
radio set. with call letter KHRDW.
It will have a transmitting frequency
of 35l2 meters with 10-watt power
The flyers said they will be able to
receive on either high or low wave
length.