Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1933-10-05

! second places and three third places.
! The maximum altitude Van Or
man has reached was $1,000 feet
during an international race in 1929
! that started in ST. Louis. The long
est distance he has travelled was l.
! 070 miles from San Antonio, Tex,
to Rochester, Mimi. The coolest it
has been while he was in the air was
about 10 degrees below zero.
A balloon and the equipment gen
orally weighs around $40 pounds,
and the equipment consists of
radio receiving set for both short
wave and regular reception, naviga-
ton instruments similarly used on
ocean steamers, a sextet, Debated
boat for use when landing on wa
ter. canned goods to last for two
weeks, parachutes, etc.
Tells of Thrills
Van Orman lists three thrills he
has had during his balloon career
days as outstanding during his G
years of free ballooning.
The first thrill came in 1925 after
leaving Brussels, Belgium. when the
huge gas bag was landed on a
steamer at midnight, 60 miles off
the coast Of Brest, France.
His next thrill occurred in 1928,
which almost caused him to give up
ballooning. His craft started out
for what appeared to be a cloudy
days trip and just one of those or
dinary rainy days. Then came rumb-
ling, jagged flashes of lightning.
The storm increased in violence.
Near Pittsburgh, the balloon was
struck. Van Orman's aide killed and
the bag dropped 5000 feet straight
down. Van Orman wriggled himself
out of the mass of ropes and the
basket, and examination showed he
suffered only broken leg.
This year his last thrill occurred.
He and his aide started out and the
gas bag drifted gently along and
during the night it lazily crossed
over the U. S. Canadian border. A
severe Canadian storm occurred. 1t
was much worse than that over
Pittsburgh. Lightning flashes play
ed all around the gas bag. Van Or
man expected it to be struck any
minute despite lightning elimina-
tor equipment A forest loomed.
Here was the test for a balloonist
and his aide, according to the for
mer McConnelsville man. They re-
leased ballast and tried everything
to induce the balloon to- sail over
the trees The basket scraped the
top limbs and finally a clearing
permitted a quick landing. Tired
from the ordeal the two rested un
til daylight. News dispatches told
the remaining story.
Van Orman declares that no two
races are alike. The air currents are
different, the craft sail over differ
ent territory, climatic conditions
vary and the uncertainty of it fas-
cinates the pilot. The sport is lik
ened to yacht racing, he said. A pi-
lOI dlSO SSLS fdludDlC u
A Training Medium
Gree ballooning develops the
airship pilot. There is future for
that type of aircraft for it is train
ing medium for training aircraft pi-
lots. Science benefits by learning
air conditions. Man benefits by it
from changing air currents" he
said.
And while pilots take all this into
consideration as a sport, as help
to science and an aid to air de-
velopment, there is fear and the
elements provide this fear, accord
ing to Van Orman. Anyone can sail
a balloon gently on a sunshiny day
and on a moonlight night, but it re-
quires skill and nerve when thunder
storms and wind storms break, de-
clared the Goodyear pilot.
His family has no objection to his
business of flying. In fact, his late
wife, Mrs. Van Orman. was the
chief source of encouragement, he
said.
While the Canadian trip gave him
enough free ballooning to last him
for awhile, he is not giving up the
game" and expects to enter the
next international race. He declar-
ed he was very much disappointed
in not winning the 1893 race, but he
made every effort to travel as long
as he could until forced down by the
storm.
Van Orman, during his short stay
In the city, was the driver OF sew