Evening star., 1937-08-28
CLIPPER CAPTAIN
LAUDS FLIGHT AID
International Corporation
Making Transatlantic
Airline Possible.
BY HAROLD e. GRAY,
Captain, Pan-American Clipper III.

SOUTHAMPTON, England, August
% (by wireless) .-Completin the
first Atlantic survey crossing over the
long southern arc, by way Of Ber-
muda, the Azores, Portugal, France
and England. the Pan-American
Clipper settled on the waters Of the
air ministry base here after flight
Of four and one-haH hours from the
Mediterranean across France and the
channel to England. Over this $685.
mile course from New York to South
ampton we spent 10 days to take
every advantage Of the weather to
study meteorological conditions Pc
culiar to this southern route and to
inspect natural harbor facilities.
In many ways this has been the
most important flight of the five
crossings so far accomplished by the
Pan-American Clipper. Conditions
encountered were strikingly different
from those characteristic of the more
northern latitudes. Following the
course Of the old clipper ships, we
swung 300 miles south of the great
circle course between Bermuda and
the Azores and put to excellent test
the radio guarding and weather re-
porting facilities established by the
four companies which are co-operat-
ing in the present transatlantic ex-
perimental flying program.
German Ship Helps.
Throughout the night the German
mothership Schwabenland relayed
weather information and on her pow
erful radio station We took bearings
which guided us safely into the Azores,
comparatively small land-fall in an
immense amount Of ocean. At the
Azores we devoted two days to study
of natural harbor facilities.
A comparatively easy flight of seven
hours brought us across the l,056
miles between Fayal Island and the
European mainland, where we made
our first landing at the big navy base
on the Tagus River. Our reception
at the Portuguese capital was an en-
thusiastic one. So enthusiastic, as a
matter of fact, that the crew had to
remain on watch to guard the ship
from throngs Of interested visitors.
At Lisbon We decided to alter our
course. Our original flight orders
called for a survey south and east from
Portugal through the Mediterranean
to Marseille, by far the most feasible
course for southern operations across
the Atlantic Due to the situation in
Spain, however, We elected to reverse
the direction, and, proceeding north
from Lisbon, swung out over the Bay
of Biscay and then south to Marseille
Time Was Almost Al Hours.
At Marseille were were warmly
greeted The last leg Of our flight re-
'suired only four and one-half hours
foT, quick passage over France di-
rectly to Southampton. Our flying
time fnom New York to Southampton
was 4e sours 81 minutes.
For our <eturn we will have at our
command tEa facilities of the four
nations which, are cooperating with
Pan-American 2irways in the trans
Atlantic survey p-ogram. At South
ampton and in BetUuda will be the
facilities of the British air ministry
and the Imperial AirWays, at Mar
seille we will use the marlae base in
the Azores, and, 1000 miles off the
Azores, the French meteorological
station aboard the S. S. Carimare will
stand guard for our long 2,00o-mile
hop from the Azores to Bermuda In
the Azores the new mothership
Friesenland will be our guarding sta
ton
AS each successive flight Is made
across the ocean. the close co-opera-
ton between the four great air trans
port systems now engaged in COM
petitive flight surveys becomes more
important, for the successful mainte-
nance of transport schedules over the
Atlantic Ocean will largely depend
upon the close working relationship
among these four countries and the
facilities which each has established
in and around that ocean for the safe
guarding of transatlantic air traffic
in the future
Copyright 1887 by the North American. -
Newspa per Alliance. Inc.)