Evening star., 1933-03-05
AIR FORCES PAY
ROARING TRIBUTE
Planes Joined by Giant Ak
ron in Review for New
President.


Navy and Marine Corps yesterday after
noon mustered the defensive air force
of the Atlantic seaboard in an impress
sive, roaring tribute to their new chief,
President Roosevelt.
Led by Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foul
lois, chief Of the Army Air Corps and
first military pilot in the Nation, 105
combat planes Of the Army and Marine
Corps, an Army non-rigid airship and
the giant Navy dirigible U. S. S. Akron
passed in review $500 feet above the
presidential stand In front Of the White
House.
Through the courtesy Of the Air
Corps, which landed an element Of three
bombers from the Goth Bombardment
Squadron here for the purpose, The
Washington Star was able to send an
observer in the air review to obtain a
description from the standpoint Of a
participant for those who viewed the
spectacle from the ground.
Bombers Sent Ahead.
The three bombers were sent ahead
Of the remainder OF the 2nd Bombard-
ment Wing from Langley Field and
landed at Boiling Field shortly before 2
pm The Stars observer was assigned
to Bomber 1876, piloted by Lieut.. T. r.
Oppenheim. Full Winter flying equip
ment, including fur-lined leather flying
suit, boots, helmet and gloves were
issued to offset the effects of 125-mile
per hour slipstream Of raw March at
moSphere.
When the three bombers took of in
echelon at 2:25 pm, there were no air
craft visible in the gray sky except q
| 10 1iI iIvy-y
Photographic plane Of Capt Albert w.
Stevens, Army air Corps, world famous
aerial photographer who had been as
signed to make the aerial record of the
Roosevelt Inauguration.
Climbing to about $500 feet, the
bombers closed into "V' formation and
headed South over Maryland under low,
dark clouds, which trailed smoky fila
ments several hundred feet below them.
For perhaps 10 minutes the big twin
motored B-6A bombers continued down
the Potomac, alone in the cloud-ceil-
inged sky. Suddenly lines Of tiny gnats
against the distant clouds resolved with
startling swiftness into squadron upon
squadron of great bo1nbers and tiny, fast
pursuit planes.
Lieut.. Oppenheim, on the left Of the
element, followed in steeply banked
turn to the right across the line of
flight Of the oncoming squadrons and
within a few seconds the element slid
smoothly into its place In the 96th
Squadron, with the great winged
ships Of the 49th and Goth Bombard-
ment Squadrons below and ahead in a
dizzy, stair-stepped formation.
Circle Near Alexandra.
The bombardment group circled In
the vicinity of Alexandria, Va, for a
few minutes, killing time for the few
minutes which remained before the
time scheduled for the swing above
Pennsylvania avenue. The faster pur-
suits milled around several miles away
go Of them-a hard hitting thunder
bolt Of man-made destruction.
Above Washington could be seen q
formation of three planes which, by a
process of mental elimination, were
proved to be those of the air marshal
Gen. Foulois, and his staff. Farther to
the East, dim and tiny, hung cloud of
midges which could be nothing but
the 30-plane force Of the Marine Corps
East Coast Expeditionary Force, half
Of them fresh from fighting insurrec-
tionists in mountainous Nicaragua.
Still farther to the East a silver
place of the giant Akron, as yet in
visible to those in Washington.
Hands Of the synchronized clocks on
the instrument panels Of los airplanes
were sweeping around to 8 o'clock
zero hour-and radio orders from Col
Foulois buzzed in the ears Of squadron
and fight leaders.
With magnificent precision Of the
sort which can recnft only from perfect
air discipline and long training, the
scattered groups, cruising at divergent
speeds, swung smoothly into column be-
hind the commanding general, down
ahead, at the foot of that dizzy stair
case of roaring khaki and yellow
bombers.
A twist of the head in the icy blast
showed the swift pursuiters behind and
above, throttled down below cruising
bombers. Their speeds were so calcu-
lated as to put the entire column into
perfect formation during Just that in
slant when 1t swung majestically above
the new Commander In Chief.
Akron Speeds Ahead.
The Marines In their silver and yel-
low planes we're visible, evidently ir
the blind spot" of the bombers, be-
meath the tail, far behind and below
The Akron still idled along miles to the
East but was now pouring on the
coal" and heading toward the Capitol
dome.
The Capitol now was sliding by be-
low and only by gaining higher foot
hold in the bomb-bay and leaning out
over the side of the fuselage could the
Avenue, with its marching Thousands
and its banks OF crowded spectators
be seen at all.
the marchers looked like nothing sc
much as patches of tiny beads. Square
sharply aligned blocks Of beads of 8
brownish hue showed where marched
the Army, earth-bound comrades II
arms Of these leather-encased begogglee