Evening star., 1935-06-16
Weekend Tour of World

washington stepped in and vigorously
demanded the flyers release. Eventu-
ally the Japanese saw the light OF
reason and commuted the Jail SEN
tences. The fines were paid.
The plans of Pangborn and Herndon
for a record-breaking trip around the
world had long since gone by the
board, but they still wanted to make a
non stop trans-pacific flight. After
considerable argument, the Japanese
agreed To permit them to make the
attempt.
On October 3, 1881, despite incle-
ment weather on the entire route,
which lay along the storm ridden
Kuriles and Aleutians, Pangborn and
Herndon took of from q beach outside
Toxic, dropped their landing gear,
and Al hours later, on October S,
landed on their belly" at Wenatchee,
Wash.-Pangborn's home town.
Thus did they complete the first
and only nonstop flight east or west
across the Pacific and under appalling
weather conditions.
I'm not particularly anxious to ex-
perience that again." says Pang
grimly. 1T was over the top prac-
tically the entire way and blind the
rest. They told us we couldn't make
1t so late in the year-but we did"
Won Place in Big Race.
Aside from a demonstration flight
to South America, Pangborn rested on
his laurels during the next three
years. Then, last Winter, as co-pilot
and navigator, he and Roscoe Turner
won third place in the sensational
Mcpherson Trophy race from LONDON
to Melbourne.
And now Pang's seeking new worlds
to conquer-with, if may be permit
ted to hazard prediction, better Than
an even chance for success.
Pangborn's co-pilot in this world
circling adventure is slated to be Ben
nett H Grifin, another old-time barn
stormer. He is SO, an Oklahoman by
birth, and served with the American
air forces In Italy during the war.
After being discharged this slight,
wiry, smiling little pilot took up barn
storming and aside from establishing
a refueling endurance record Of 304
hours with Roy Hunt, kept well out
of the public eye until 1882.
During the Summer of that year
Griffin and the Texas cowboy pilot,
Jimmy Mattern, hoped from Floyd
Bennett Field in an attempt to fly
around the world in a Lockheed Vega.
After completing the first nonstop
flight from New York to Berlin they
roared on toward Moscow.
Plane Is Wrecked.
One early dawn, in making land
ing near Borisov, Russia, to effect
minor repairs, their plane was wrecked
when the apparently safe and level
ground turned out to be a grass-cov-
cred swamp. All that Mattern and
Griffin were able to salvage from the
wreck were the insignia which dec
Grated the sides of the fuselage.
At present. Griffin is assistant TO the
chief airline inspector, Bureau OF Air
Commerce, at Washington.
The third member of this trio of
aerial argonauts will be Reeder
Nichols. an expert radio engineer and
operator. Upon him will devolve the
arduouS task of maintaining constant
communication with the world during
the fiight-one that he performed ad-
mirably during his flight from Lon
don to Melbourne last Winter with
Turner and Pangborn.
During this fight Nichols eStab-
hShed two world records for plane-to-
ground communication: On one occa-
sion. while the ship was flashing
across Northern Australia, he was in
code communication with Bergen, Nor
way, and after signing of tuned in
uninterruptedly with San Francisco.
Previously. while the plane was cross
ing India, he had kept q station in
Manila vocally informed regarding the
flight.
Finishing Touches Given.
Nichols is an engineer for Lear
Radio Developments and is now put
ting the finishing touches on the radio
equipment which the round the world
plane will carry. The set has 500
watt output and will be the strongest
ever installed in an airplane. Nichols
says that he expects to maintain two
way voice communication from every
point along the route.
AS q one-time holder Of the record
for speedy circumnavigation of the
globe and as participant in the first
flight around the world by the Army
flyers in 1924, 1 take more than an
int in faofe of clril1
and endurance as Papgborn and his
associates are planning.
Too, I incline to the belief that
there are millions of others equally in
terested, but who can gain their thrills
only vicariously. Consequently, it
should not be amiss to recall some Of
the record breaking jaunts around
the world.
The world has been circled by
water, in ships large and small; by
land and water; by land, air and
water; by air alone. People have
walked, ridden bicycles and motor
cycles, and driven automobiles
around it.
The first known record for circum-
navigation of the globe was estab-
lished by the expedition Of that intre-
pid Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand
Magellan.
In 1919 Magellan approached the
King Of Portugal with the suggestion
that he support an expedition to dis
cover o western route to the Spice
Islands. The King of Portugal wasn't
interested, so Magellan carried his
idea to the King Of Spain, who ac-
cepted 1t.
Starting from Seville few months
later, Magellan touched the coast of