Evening star., 1933-07-24
POST FORECASTS
&-H0UR FLIGHTS
Aviator, However, May Leave
s4, His Record for Others
to Beat.
Continued From First Page

The next development for long dis
tance flying after blind flying and land
ing will be high altitude flying, flying
in the stratosphere.
l found out on this flight in the
Winnie Mae, which has a Supercharged
engine and did have an adjustable pitch
that I could make better time at 5000
feet than at lower altitude.
l think the development of super
charged planes, that is with the cabin
as we'll as the engines kept sufficiently
supplied with oxygen in the rarifled
atmosphere will come in the very near
future
1t would not surprise me If within
three or four years somebody made q
flight around the world in such plane,
equipped for blind flying. in 48 hours.
And eventually it should be done in
far less.
Now that have had time to think
the flight over a little and get the sound
OF the propeller out of my ears, 1 am
more and more surprised that I am
here. I realize now that twice on the
flight was on the point of bailing out.
Looked for Better Luck.
Once was Friday night out of Fair
banks when I was flying at 81 900 feet
over the mountains, in temperature
Of degrees below zero, and with ice
forming on my ship and forcing me
down at the rate of 100 feet a minute
had the motor wide open but still I
miles and I kept going down. I knew
the mountains came up to $4,000 feet
there. and If I ever had got down to
10000 feet I would have gone.
I kept figuring every minute I had
better fasten my parachute on and
start
One thing persuaded me to keep try
ing That was that I had been told
before leaving Fairbanks that the
weather would get better at White
Horse 800 or 400 miles beyond where
my plane started mushing down. This
chance of better luck ahead kept me
going. and eventually I came out all
right
The other time when I nearly gave
up the flight and took to the parachute
was when I was flying from Moscow
to NovoSibirsk and flew on top Of the
fog for seven hours The clouds kept
getting higher and higher and finally
got up to 81 900 feet, with nearly 4
miles Of fog between me and the ground
I didn't know how much higher it
might get ahead and 1 could hardly
make up my mind to go down through
the fog. I thought of taking to the
parachute there. but finally decided to
take chance on coming down. de-
scended in a very long. SLOW glide, !
going very carefully because I thought |
at any minute 1 might see the ground |
and fall into crash.
Would Look Bad"
got below the clouds finally without |
mishap. and found myself 200 feet |
siberian Railroad and flew on to
Novosibirsk
People have been asking me since I
got back what pilot thinks about
when he has robot to do his work
and is flying along on long hop. He
dosen't think about anything much.
know all 1 thought about at such
times was whether 1 was at the right
altitude and on the course. had my
eye on the altimeter and the compass
all the time.
There was hardly room in my mind
even to think about the people back
here waiting for me to get in. was
in sort of daZe. Once in a while.
though. when I was trying to get
through somewhere, would find was
talking to myself. saying, you've got to
get through somehow. Mae CMrs. Post)
and those guys from Oklahoma City are
waiting for me-"
I took no foolhardy risks on this
flight. When I made my unscheduled
stop at Koenigsburg it was because I
felt it would be taking too great risk
to go on, not because 1 absolutely had to.
l have tried to make this flight with
the idea of not killing myself. Not only
hoconSo did uant tn oct KILLED |
but because it would look bad for
aviation.
(Copyrieht 1899, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc. World Rights
ReServed.)