Evening star., 1933-09-22
|DU POINT SKATERS
j. s. GLIDER MARK
MotorIess Plane Scars 122
Miles From Virginia Noun
tain Camp
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DU POINT GLIDER EXPEDITION
CAMP, Rockfish Gap, Waynesboro, Va,
September 22.-The American glider
distance record was nearly doubled and
the long-standing superiority of Ger
many in the glider field seriously chal-
lenged for the first time late yester-
day when Richard c. du Pont. youth
full leader of an expedition of the Ma
tion's foremost soaring pilots, landed
at Detrick Airport, Frederick, Nd, after
a flight Of approximately 1921 miles
from this point in his Albatross SAIL
plane.
But for lain and fog. into which he
ran over Catoctin Mountain, near
Frederick, Du Pont is confident he could
have established new world distance
record for motorless gliders. exceeding
the German record Of approximately 1876
miles. He and other members OF his
expedition intend to continue their as
saults on the three great glider records
distance, duration and altitude, all
of which now are held by Germans.
So successful have been the efforts
of the expedition that tomorrow Federal
national park officials from Washing
ton are expected to come to the Big
Meadows site on top of the Blue Ridge
near here to study the possibility OF
setting up the first permanent Amerl-
can glider camp. similar to the world
famous Wasserkuppe base in Germany.
Glider pilots who have flown from this
section of the Blue Ridge say the pro-
posed site would be one Of the finest
of its kind in the world.
Notable Week.
Into the steady westerly winds which
have swept the Blue Ridge almost con-
tinuously for the past week and made
possible the most notable week IN Amer
ican glider history, Du Pont was cata-
pulled from a mountain-top meadow
overlooking Waynesboro and Rockflsh
Gap at 1885 o'clock yesterday morning.
He spent 20 minutes jockeying his
beautiful feather-weight sailplane in
the up-currents over the brow OF the
mountain to gain altitude. When he
had climbed $500 feet above the top
of the Blue Ridge, he headed out over
the Shenandoah Valley couple Of
miles and then made a beeline for
the next ridge to the northwest. He
lost a little altitude in his fast glide,
but. just as he was disappearing from
sight some 10 miles away from his
take off point. he was seen to be climb
ing rapidly toward the clouds.
Members of the expedition received
a telephone call from du Pont last
night announcing his landing at Fred
erick He told Arthur L. Lawrence,
directing official Of the expedition, that
he scared beyond Frederick, but when
he ran into heavy rains and cloud
level below the tops Of the ridges. he
turned back in order to land on an
Frederick
Flight was Easy"
Dick du Pont described his record
breaking flight as easy" Lawrence
said after his conversation with the
country's new soaring leader. He said
he never was in any trouble and only
twice did he get below his starting
point. For the most part he new at
an altitude of 1000 to 5000 feet above
his take-off, or at an average elevation
of between 1000 and 5000 feet above
the Shenandoah Valley.
Considering that he was obliged to
circle over ridges in order to gain alti-
tude for the Jumps across gaps and
that his course had to be perpendicular
to the -mile-an-hour wind which
has been blowing all day. his hying
time was very good. He averaged rs
miles an hour in a craft which has a
normal cruising speed OF about 80
miles"
Lawrence and a glider crew set out
from the expedition headquarters yes
+erday evening with an automobile and
the special trailer used in transporting
the Albatross. They expected to bring
du Pont and the sailplane back in time
for another attempt on the record this
week. provided the present favorable
winds continue TO hold.
II is reported that du Points land
ing at Frederick was witnessed only
by three boys-H levitt Orth, jr.;
Carlton Barger and Paul Brengle, all