Evening star., 1934-10-09
RUMAN|AN PRINCE
PRAISES AMERICAN
AIR ACHIEVEMENT
President of F. A. |. Attrib-
utes Progress to Strength
of Citizens Character.
SOLEMN RITUAL is HELD
AT CONVENTION OPENING
Roosevelt to Receive Delegates
Late Today-Luncheon Held
at Carlton Hotel.

Paylng trlpute 10 American aero
nautical achievements, Prince Georges
Bibesco of Rumania, president of the
Federation Aeronautique Interna-
tionale, today attributed this progress
to the strength of character of your
citizens" and ito the Federal forma-
ton which makes your union Of
peoples one of the greatest reservoirs
Of energy in the world"
Speaking before the first session Of
the convention, he pointed out that
members of the federation, in atten-
dance here from 20 nations, have eS-
tabliShed their international organi-
zation in accordance with the same
principles as your political fedora
| ton" and, therefore, are well
adapted to understand and admire
the underlying cause which has al
lowed you TO achieve these technical
marvels"
1T is by raising the barriers which
| would have prevented your 48 States
from communicating freely with each
other that you have reached this
dazzling height of progress and given
! to the world an example of the So
ciety of the future" the prince said.
Recounts Achievements.
Recounting the achievements Of
Wilbur and Orville Wright Samuel
P. Langley, Glenn H. Curtiss, Charles
A. Lindbergh, Rear Admiral Richard
E. Byrd, Lieuts. Oakley G. Kelly and
John A. MacReady, Lees and Bressy,
Drexel, Johnston, Maj. Shredder,
Lieut.. Soucek, Lieut.. Maughan, Maj.
James H. Doolittle, Jimmy Wedell,
Russell Boardman and John Polando,
Clarence c. Chamberlin, Amelia Ear
hart, Mae Haizlip and others who
form an American constellation Of
shining stars on our roll Of honor"
Prince BibeSco declared that this
country has become "the center of
attraction of the aeronautical world"
Prince Bibesco paid especial tribute
to Wiley Post, who was awarded the
great gold medal of the F. A. I. for his
| solo flight around the world in $50
hours, and TO Lieut.. Comdr. T. G. w.
Settle and Mai Chester L. Fordney,
who received the Count de la Vaulx
Medal for their Navy record strato-
sphere fight last year
Former Senator Bingham accepted
the medal for Post.
Today's opening ceremony, held in
the auditorium of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, was a solemn
ritual, every detail of which has been
prescribed by "a years of custom and
| tradition.
Secretary Of State Hull welcomed
the distinguished international visitors
as the representative of President
Roosevelt and formally declared the
F. A. I. Congress open for business.
When the F. A. I. was created 20
years ago, Secretary Hull said, even
the most enthusiastic of aviation'S de-
votees could scarcely have visualized
what the future held in store"
Bingham Voices Welcome.
Bingham, president of the National
Aeronautic Association, American rep
reSentative of the F. A I. and host to
the international visitors, voiced the
welcome of American aviation to the
foreign delegates.
Wiley Post is the second American to
receive the great gold medal of the
F. A. L, now held only by Marquis de
Pinedo, Sir Alan Gotham, Charles A.
Lindbergh, Bert Hinkler. Dieudonne
Costes, Marshal Italo Balbo, DR.. Hugo
Eckener and Juan de la Cierva The
medal was presented to the one-eyed
hero of two record flights around the
world by Prince Bibesco1
The prince presented the Count de
Ia Vaulx Medal in Gold to Balbo in
| Italian planes he led across the At
lantic to the United States and back
last year. The medal was received by
Balbo by the Italian delegate, Mar
cello DiaZ Duca della Vittoria. It is
the only copy in gold of this medal
ever presented
The usual Count de la Vaulx Medal
in Silver was presented by Prince BIZ
beSco to Comdr. Settle and Maj. Ford
ney. The same medal was presented
to the French pilots, Maurice RoSsi
and Paul CodoS for their world-dis-
tance flight from New York to Iraq,
| Syria, last year. The medal was re-
ceived by Louis Bleriot, great French
air pioneer, for CodoS and Rossi. The
silver medal also was presented to
Fracesco Agello of Italy for his world
record speed flight of 423822 miles
per hour last year. The medal was
4 received for Agello by Duke della Wit
toria Diaz. The Count de Ia Vaulx
Medal in Silver is awarded to pilots
establishing world records for speed,
altitude and distance.
| Founder of F. Al.
| Count Henri de Ia VaulX, in whose
name the medal was established, was
founder in 1898 of the Aero Club of
France and in 1905 of the F. A. l., Of
which he was elected president in
1925. He was killed in an airplane
crash near Newark, N. j., while on a
world trip among member organiza-
tions Of the F. A. L
The formal opening ceremony
closed with the reading Of the annual
report Of the r. A. I. by Mitchell B.
Carroll, recording secretary of the
conference.
This ceremony, attended by more
than 800 Federal and civil aviation
leaders, Government officials and
members of the diplomatic corps, is
the only session of the conference
which will be open to any one other
than accredited delegates.
After the opening session the dele
gates were the guests Of the Aeronau-
tical Chamber Of Commerce of Amer
lea at an informal stag luncheon at
the Carlton Hotel.
The first executive session Of the
conference was to be held this after
noon at the Chamber of Commerce
Building for consideration of a num-