Evening star., 1934-01-12
NAVY MASS FLYERS.
HEROES TO HAWAII.
Full Round of Entertainment
Planned for Transpacific
Aviators.
s-sssH|.ss-4- .s.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
HONOLULU, January 12.-The Pa
cific-spanning flyers of Uncle Sans
Navy are heroes here. When Lieut..
Comdr. Knefler McGinnis and his 20
officers and men are fully rested from
their 24-hour record-breaking mass
flight from San Francisco to Hawaii.
they face rounds Of entertainment.
The six seaplanes arrived at Pearl
come to rest at 3:07 pm. (Paciflc
standard time).
Through darkness, fog and other
hazards Of oversee flying for 2,400
miles, the squadron came through
without slip In what the Navy in
sisted was merely routine movement"
| and Comdr. McGinnis described as
"just another all-night hop"
The civilian population Of Honolulu,
however. refused to accept such a
matter -of-fact view. On the streets
and elsewhere conversation indicated
the very ease and precision with which
the squadron accomplished Its task
supported the opinion that a regular
air route to the mainland had been
blazed.
Regular Service Seen.
Intense interest was evidenced in the
declaration Of Delegate Lincoln Nc
Candless of Hawaii, in Washington,
that the success of the flight paved
the way for regular airmail and pas
senger service to the mainland "in the
near future"
Entertainment for the sailors Of the
air awaited the arrival of Rear Admiral
A. w. johnson, commander of the air
craft, Base Force, who first proposed
that the squadron's planes be flown to
Honolulu instead of being transferred
in crates on surface vessels.
Admiral Johnson Is due In Honolulu
tomorrow on the aircraft tender Wright,
which stood by in line of flight 800
miles from Pearl Harbor as the squad
ron roared overhead.
From the time Con1dr. McGinnis led
the flight through San Franciscos
Golden Gate at 2:25 pm. Pacific
standard time). Wednesday, until the
Pearl Harbor finish, Admiral johnson
kept In touch with the progress OF the
planes by wireless. His flagship was
one of six surface vessels spaced along
the course at 300-mile intervals.
Dance Tomorrow.
The entertainment program for to-
morrow night includes a dance and
reception by the Honolulu Advertising
Club. Next week the Honolulu Cham
ber of Commerce will give a luncheon
for the flyers and the Mayor and board
of supervisors plan an Hawaiian feast
at the Wsialae Country Club.
While expressing appreciation for the
honors shown the flyers. Navy officials
again pointed to the orders which said
the squadron will now take up its reg
ular duties with the others based at
Pearl Harbor.
The type of planes used in the fight,
1t was explained. are used for patrol
ing for enemy submarines. protection
of conveys and long distance scouting
from advanced bases"
Comdr. McGinnis appeared the least
tired of any of the squadrons person.
mel as he stepped from his plane. His
first request was for a cigarette.
Leader Never Sleeps"
While most Of the other airmen went
to sleep early last night, the COM
mander accompanied Comdr. Wayne
Tod, in charge of the feet air base, to
the latter's Waikiki home.
HE never sleeps" Comdr. Tod COM
mented Hes fresher than the rest
of us who merely watched the planes
arrive"
In telling of the flight Comdr. Nc
Ginnis said the night in the air was
"awfully long" because the squadron's
westward course stretched the period
of darkness into about Is hours.
The late Comdr. John Rodgers made
the first mainland to Hawaii flight at
tempt in August, 1925. The commander
and a crew of four were forced down
450 miles short Of their goal Nine days
later they were rescued, drifting of the
island of Kauai
Previous Record Broken.
The massed fight of the six United
States Navy seaplanes from San Fran
cisco to Pearl Harbor, over 2,408 statute
miles of the Pacific Ocean, exceeded
the previous long g-distance mass flying
record, which had been established by
the same squadron.
The SQUADRON set the best previous
record last September in its nonstop
fight from Norfolk to Coco Solo, Canal
Zone, distance of 2,059 miles.
Both flights, to the Canal Zone and
Hawaii surpassed the over-ocean nom
stop formation flight of Gen. Italo Bal
bo and his squadron in the spectacular
flight over the South Atlantic Ocean
in 1881.
On this flight. from West Africa to
Brasil, the Italians flew a. distance OF
1854 miles.
Balbo's flight to the United States
and the Chicago Century of Progress
Exposition last Summer included nom
stop formation flight of 1.491 miles
from Iceland to Cartwright, Labrador,
and one of 1.677 miles from Newfound-
land to the Azores.
The Navy ships flown to Hawaii were
the Same shiDs which were in the Coco
Solo flight, but the crews were changed.