The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-06-21
AWAIT. GOOD
WEATHER. FOR
OCEAN [. FLIGHT
Ghosts Of Seven Will
Hover Over Cincin-
natl Aviators

NEW YORK, June 2l:-(Ufl;;
The ghosts of seven fliers will
hover over the blue and gold
Francesca de Pinedo" as George
and Alfred Monteverde, Portu-
guese from Cincinnati. fly the At
lantic on what they hope will be
the first nonstop fl 'ght to Rome.
The youthful brothers last night
awaited favorable wc2thcr.
With only 600 flying hours he
tween them, their attempt will be
the sixth as the unlucky trip al
ready has cost seven lives.
Two ships with crews of three
each started for Rome only to be
lost at sea. Another plane crash
ed on the take-of', Two others
landed lin Europe short of their
destination.
The youths waited restlessly at
the Hotel Half Moon on the
boardwalk of Coney Island, few
minutes ride from Floyd Bennett
Field, starting point of two SINH
lar flights which ended in death.
We're going just as soon as
we get the word" the brothers
said.
YIt's just a sporting venture"
said George, 27, who is a mar
quis in his native town of Lisbon.
rs, is a count. eve don't
expect to make any money. We're
doing it just because this flight
hasn't succeeded before"
But the horrors Of slow death
by thirst or hunger have been i'm
pressed on the youths. The two,
who not SO long ago were stu
dents at the University of Cincin-
natl, will carry deadly potassium
cyanide pellets, to swallow if
forced down at sea.
"Well be prepared for any
thing" Alfred said. And George
added: They'll kill you almost
before you can pull your finger
back out of your mouth"
For eight years the 4,500-mile
Jump to Rome has challenged
some of the worlds greatest
1ierS.
On September 6, 1927, four
after Charles A. Lind
bergh's historic flight to Paris,
three men set off for Rome in
odd Glory" a Fokker-Bristol
and monoplane.
Lloyd Bertaud, James Dewitt
Hill and Philip. A. Payne lifted
heir shop from the airport at Old
Orchard, Me. Next day there was
4 frantic sos. A few weeks later
of the plane was found
boating in mid-ocean.
Two years later Roger Q. Will
Hams and Lewis A.. Yancey took
off from the same field on July 8
and flew for 80 hours and 80 min
ltes before motor trouble forced
them down at Santander, Spain.
On Sept. 2, 1882, Gen. Fran
cesco De Pinedo, famous Italian
flier, crashed on the take-otf at
Floyd Bennett Field for Rome
and was burned to death. The
brothers named their
ship after him.
Undaunted by De Pinedo's fate,
William Ulbrich, pilot, DR.. Leon
NJ. Pisculli, Psychologist, and
Edna Newcomer, nurse, flashed
down the same runway on Sept.
Is, 1882, in their American
Nurse" zoomed over jamaica
Bay and disappeared, never to be
found.
The last fight to Rome was at
tempted May IA, 1884, by Lieut..
Commander George X. Pond and
Lieut.. Cesare Sabelli. They also
took off at Floyd Bennett Field.
The flight ended on the west coast
of Ireland.
This is the jinx the Monteverde
brothers hope to break.
"Most of the previous flights
were >haphazard affairs" George
said. "Some of the fiiers took off
with motors four and five years
DID,"
Their Bellanca, however, has a
brand new Wright whirlwind mo-
tor and can cruise 5000 miles at
los miles an hour on her CTS gal
Ions of fuel.
Emergency rations for 10 days
will be carried. The plane has