Evening star., 1935-10-13

countries, who are to arrive in Wash.
ington today.
Federal aviation officials have ar.
ranged for the visitors a program
which Is intended to familiarize them
with the workings of the Nations air
ways network and the governmental
aids to air navigation. Visits to the
Department Of Commerce. the Pam
American Union, the Weather Bureau
and the Anacostia Naval Air Station
have been arranged.
On Wednesday the visiting air d.
rectors will be flown to Langley Field,
Hampton, Va, to inspect the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
research laboratories and to witness
a flying demonstration by the General
Headquarters Air Force They will re-
turn that evening to attend a dinner
by the Aeronautical Chamber of Conn
merce
Thursday morning the visitors will
leave Washington by air for the Glenn
L. Martin flying field near Baltimore
to inspect the plant in which many Of
the worlds most sensational bom-
bardment airplanes have been con.
structed and to see the big Pan n-Amer.
ican Airways clipper planes. They
will go from there to New York and
Chicago. returning to their home
countries by way of Miami and
Brownsville over the lines Of Pan.
American Airways.
The annual soaring contest on the
Wasserkuppe, Germany's world-fa-
nous soaring camp, has been remark.
able not only in point of records es-
tablished but also in the number Of
contestants and the amount of flying
carried on, according to reports re-
ceived in this country by the Soaring
Society Of America.
Sixty soaring planes actually took
part in the meet and so long were
the flights that all pilots taking part
in the contest were required to carry
passports in case they scared into for.
eign countries Many of them did.
Wolf Hirth and Won Miakisch, an
18-year-old boy, flew 261 miles each.
Hoffman made a world record flight
of 296 miles and then four soarers
in formation few 313 miles into
Czechoslovakia.
The total distance flown during the
two weeks of the meet was $4,000
miles. There were 513 launchings and
the length of the average flight was
AZ miles, fact which the American
society characterized as astounding"
A final summation Of distance
flights according to the American
society. shows 140 flights Of more
than IS miles: 113 flights Of more
than so miles; Al flights of more than
l20 miles; 16 flights of more than 1870
miles; nine of more than 240 miles
and four of more than 800 miles.
American soaring pilots are active
in many parts of the country and the
society has interesting reports on
many of their flights. A passage
from a report from Cloyd Artman,
Oreville, Wash, gives a clue to some
Of the fascination of motorleSs flying.
Just around the corner" Artman
said, Il found a pocket that gave
very strong current. After a bit I
saw a hawk coming up and Zone Of
my weaknesses I started after him.
He was also soaring in this same
current and Che Is the first hawk
to do sol he allowed me to reach a
position about 20 feet from him and
directly behind him.
Il watched him closely and noticed
each time he zoomed a little.
waited until that gust had time to
hit me and zoomed also. Believe it
or not, I gained steadily along with
him and he would turn his head to
look over and then under his wing
at me.
I'm the minute I followed him
gained 300 feet and gained l,lo0 feet
above the take-of point at that
pocket-using what I had learned
from the hawk to good advantage.
Il few north and turned, heading
for the take-o1 point miles
away. Flew past it with 200 feet
left and headed on south along the
cliffs. I must have gone at least
7 miles south of the take-of
point before I headed back again.
Most of the time I was barely
hundred feet above the cliff-some-
times more. Went past the take-of
point before I headed back again.
nearly at the point again the wind
changed TO the north and I had to
land. The result was that I had to
walk 4 miles to find my crew, who
had lost track of me.
Later We went up again, deter
mined to try for a distance record.
There was no wind but the hot sun
on the wheat fields below created a
slight breeze. Finally it became strong
enough to carry aloft a couple Of
hawks so I took off, heading south
along the cliffs. The current was so
weak that I didn't dare turn but,
by hugging the top of the cliff, I
could keep above it most Of the time.
1t was touchy business flying with
a wing-tip almost scraping the cliffs,
but 1t was fun. I covered 1871 miles
and reached a stretch where the cliff
dropped of straight into the angry
river (the Columbia) for about q
mile. I circled and landed after
% minutes Of flying"