Imperial Valley press., 1933-06-03
FLYER
HOPS OFF ON
WORLD TRIP
Jimmy Mattern Leaves New
York At Daybreak In Effort
To Beat Old Mark.
SEEN AT NEWFOUNDLAND
Ambitious Aviator Already
Holds Record For Fastest
Crossing Of Atlantic.
By C. C. NICOLET

By c. c. NICOLET
United Press Staff Correspondent
WAHAM ISLAND, N. F., June
3. U.PThe speedy mOnoplane
in which James Mattern is at
tempting a solo flight around
the world passed over this is
land at 2:20 p. M, Newfound-
land daylight time.
The plane was making rapid
time, and disappeared into the
north. Wadham Island is IL
miles south of Fogo Island.
FLOYD BENNETT AIRPORT,
New York, June 3-James Mattern,
transatlantic speed record holder
and Oklahoma colonel, took off in
his airplane Century of Progress at
5:21 a. m. EDIT, today on solo
flight around the world.
Mattern is a Texan, smiling, cur
ly haired and confident
His plane is the one in which he
and Bennett Griffin, trying wor1d
flight year ago, crashed in Rus
sian peat bog. >ts
You never know where you'll
land, but I'm hooting for Berlin"
Mattern told a friend just before
he got in the plane.
He was expected to skirt the New
foundland coast and fly over Nor
thern Ireland. Ireland, England and
France we're possible altrrnaiive
landing points. Flying fields of all
three nations will be ready for him.
Mattern's flight tday is perhaps
! the most difficult ever eSSayed. His
route is Berlin -MoScow-Ya Yakutsk,
Siberia Edmonton, Canada Chi
cago-New York. Alone he will try
to break the two-man record, it
self hailed as history making, of
Wiley Post and Harold Gatty, on
his 1851 mile world flight.
But there was no sign that to
Mattern, army trained veteran of
many flights, he was risking his
life. For weeks he has been recon-
ditioning and testing his 600-horse
power Lockheed plane and check
ing his instruments, the best OBJ
tainable, on which he depends. 1t
is painted to resemble somewhat an
American Eagle, with stripes to
represent feathers. 1t has no ra-
l.. dio.
For days now, he had been await
ing favorable weather. Late last
night he telephoned DR.. James Kim
ball, meterologiSt, who has given
the "go" signal to many transatlan-
tic flyers.
Runway Heightened
Kimball told the Texas aviator
that a start this morning would
give him clear skies and favor
able tail wind across the Atlantic.
Mattern at once telephoned the
field from his Coney Island hotel
that he would take off soon after
dawn.
Mattern had with him few per-
sonal belongings and a little ad-
| ditional equipment. lie had good
} look at the runway. His plane had
every pound of weight it would
stand. Fearing the $500 foot rum
way would not be long enough, Of
} ficials removed the fence to give
} an additional 1000 feet which, II
he failed to take off, he could brake
the planes wheels. To remind him
this might be difficult, an ambu-
lance from Hangs county hospital
| stood by. -v
} i've got a good tail wind and
half a dozen oranges, and I'm OIL,
Mattern said. .u,.
Mattern shook hand silently with
| friends, adjusted his helmet, test
| ed the throttle a couple of times,
; and was off. Il.
The plane rose in good time and
climbed rapidly into gray haze,
on its first stage to Berlin and It's
second flight of the Atlantic. on
| the first it established speed rec
} ord of 10 hours so minutes for the
; water jump .
Mattern swung out over the
sea, then back over the field before
he took off due east TO disappear
at 5:25