Evening star., 1937-07-07
Hop Through TviGght Bo,cl
Just Routine, Says Clipper Pilot
Capt. Gray Describes "Plensont" Flight
Through Hori7onless, Visionless
Infinite Depth.

r. M. A. Caledonia, actually passing
within so miles of U.S. OF course, We
did not see them. They were nearly
10000 feet below us at that time. hid
den beneath the solid ceiling of clouds
that formed, for us, q solid floor 1000
feet below. And, too, we were on the
great circle course while they were
following the rhumb line direct tc
Newfoundland. BY the time We had
exchanged greetings and wished them
luck. the Pan-American Clipper had
passed the halfway mark and we had
started down the long hill" toward
Ireland
Two hours farther we ran into the
first rain. SpOtty at first, it soon set
tied into heavy gray mist through
which We made our way on instru-
ments, watched over so carefully BY
our powerful radio direction finders
While We verified the bearings coming
to us from ground stations with cross
bearings taken by our own gonicmeter
on the S. S. American Banker, the
S. S. American Trader and the S. S
Washington. Altogether during this
period We raised bearings from nine
different steamers-although the At
lantic shipping lanes. the marine
charts showed, were all but empty
last night.
Only Visionless Depth.
There Is no way adequately to de-
scribe this type of flying in biz
transport plane, designed and equipped
for ocean flying. Watching wings, tai
surfaces, the sides of the big hull it.
self for any sign of ice formation, VIZ
seem TO be sweeping along inclosec
in rich, muffled roar OF power tha
actually becomes almost a silence. TIL.
click of the radio key, for instance.
the whine Of the transmitter as it i!
switched on are sharp and distinc
against the engines background. Their.
Is no horizon. There Is only an infinit,
depth above. below, on all sides. ,
gray, visionless depth, motionless, ex.
cept where sufficient moisture gather.
IN one spot to spread river of rair
drops across the windshield Ant
through it all the blue exhaust flame.
from the Sikorskys big Pratt G Whit
ney Hornets cast an eerie glow tina
is reflected back into the cabin.
Just before We entered this vino
Shift line, which had been chartec
on our weather map II hours before
We had finished our dinner. At tables
set in the lounge room, Ships Clerk
Thaler served two of us at a time
On linen tablecloths. served on china
with a complete silver service, the
dinner was more complete than our
previous nights meal, excellent though
1t was, at BotWood. Shrimp cocktail
hot cream soup, filet mignon with
mushroom sauce, fresh vegetab bles, q
green salad with a choice of dressings
ice cream, cakes and demi-taSse. That
meal-and the service that went with
its itself graphic example of the
difference in ocean flying today and
probably the sharpest reminder of all
OF that remarkable flight of Lind
bergh's just 10 years ago that fostered
a public support upon which the mod
ern industry of air transportation has
been largely reared.
Could Go 1000 Miles More.
We realized the difference, too, in
the blind flying sector of our
the blind flying sector of our
course-scarcely two hours in alias
We went so securely, so confidently
on our way with a dozen different
guarding points to help us. Less than
a hundred miles of the coast the
clouds began to break.
Ninety miles out we got the first
glimpse Of the ocean we had not seen
except through rapidly closing hole
in the clouds since we were 80 miles of
the Newfoundland coast last night.
Directional radio bearings came
aboard and checked our navigated
course as nearly perfect. With that
assurance, we dropped down from our
hight lane miles above the sea, for
the first time, and, leveling off at q
thousand feet, moved swiftly on to our
landfall.
Ashore we checked our log. Our
average speed was 1901 miles per
hour, trif1e slower than we had
anticipated. Helping winds had
averaged 20 miles per hour for the en-
tire run, their higher velocity on the
first half counteracted in part by the
beam and slightly head winds we en-
countered through the wind shift line
on the "other side" In the big wing
and cabin tanks, our clipper still had
enough gas to carry us on nearly
another 2,00o miles. And, II it were
desired, We al felt we'll fit to go on.