Evening star., 1933-07-16
TWO PLANES OFF
/. ON OCEAN FLIGHTS
Post Hops on Globe Trip, Fol-
lowed by LithuaMa- Bound
Airmen.
Continued From First Page }


to use the robot all the time except
when taking OF and landing"
Nevertheless he does not expect to do
much sleeping.
I've had about 80 hours In the air
with the robot" he said, "and while he
has always been on the job, there's al
ways that feeling about something me-
chanical-"
He grinned and shook his head.
The Winnie Mae, weighing more than
any ship that ever has left Floyd Ben
nett Field for transatlantic flight, has
cruising speed of 10 miles an hour
with q top Of 210 miles. Besides the
robot pilot 1t carries new radio COM
pass devised by the United States Army
and enshrouded in secrecy.
Post planned six stops on his Is, 100
mile f1ight-Berlin, Novosibirsk. Khaba-
ropsk, Fairbanks, Alaska; Edmonton,
Alberta, and New York. He has ex-
pressed the hope Of completing the
Journey In less than a week.
Has Elaborate Equipment.
He carried a food supply and elabo-
rate equipment. Three packages Of
chewing gum and q box Of hard toast
were packed with q quart OF water and
q quart Of tomato juice.
Extra shirts, ties, underwear and q
razor were slowed away. together with
three patches for his left eye, which
he lost in 1926 on an oil well job.
His other equipment included maps,
passports, wireless guide, extra parts
for his plane. fishing lines and hooks,
cigarette lighter, mosquito netting,
a sleeping bag and f1ashlight.
For defense he carried an Indian
tomahawk, which other flyers said he
keeps sharpened to razor keennesS. He
can cut a playing card at 20 PAGES.
Another priced possession Is trick
parachute which he can slip on IN
hurry in event of an emergency.
Post and the Lithuanians were re-
ported flying into good weather along
the North Atlantic coast, but the take
of of the monoplane Lithuanica in a
heavy mist was considered q difacult
feat.
Pair Leave by Ruse.
Darius, Sc, and Gi-enas. 81, took ad-
vantage of the interest in Posts de-
parture and warmed their engine for
what they told airport officials would be
a test fight with their load of 779 gal
Ions OF gas.
Under this ruse they left the ground
with the good wishes Of friends, one
of whom was Paul Zadeikis, New York
consul general for Lithuania.
The plane. SWaying under the load
missed destruction several times as 1t
gathered speed along the ground. As
the wheels grazed the last inch OF the
runway. the plane noSed East with less
than 200 feet of altitude before it dis
appeared into the low-hanging fog.
Mai. J. Nelson Kelly. airport manager,
said the ariators failed to sign the reg
ister and that he had no idea they
would leave in view Of the Government s
refusal to grant license.
They had been arg euing with the Com
merce Department over who should pay
the 500 expense involved III cabling for
their route. Finally they sought per
mission by mail, which would require
about 60 days, department officials said
II they should land in any country
except Lithuania, an official explained,
it would be embarrassing to the Gov
ernment and would make the flyers
subject to spanking"
Their provisions included q quart Of
black coffee. two bottles of matted milk
tablets. a gallon Of drinking water, a
roast chicken, a dozen apples and q
dozen oranges.
Darius Received Citation.
The flyers. who had been waiting
since MAY to start their trip, came
to the United States in their child
hood Capt. Darius went to school in
Elizabeth. n. j.. and Chicago where
his mother Mrs. Augustine DegustiS,
lives.
He enlisted in the Field Artillery six
days after the United States entered
the World War. He was wounded III
the chest al the second battle Of the
Marne and received q regimental cita-
ton for "habitual bravery under fire. I"
His aviation training began in the
Lithuanian Air Corps in 1921. and re-
suited in his commission as captain.
In 1928 he attended an aviation school
at South Bend. Ind.
GirenaS attended grammar school in
Chicago after coming to the United
States at the age Of 7. He is var
veteran and. like Darius, is unmarried
Until two years ago he operated an
aviation school in Chicago.