Evening star., 1939-05-08

NIHOI "sSHup TuhS ~
Dim QuoIity Of Show;
68 PIones Attend
Taking stock today of the sew
enth annual Langley Day air meet
held yesterday at College Park Air
port, College Park, Md, local avia-
ton and civic oncials expressed the
belief that this meet. originally a
purely local event, within the next
year or two will come to rank as one
of the most important sectional
meets in the central Atlantic
coastal area.
Yesterdays meet, largest in local
aviation history, brought together
68 airplanes from within a radius
of 200 miles, SO of them competing
in six races. The only mishap Of
any kind occurred at the very end
of the meet, when Ray Morders,
local college student, while making
an exhibition parachute Jump, land
ed in a fish pond and strained a
shoulder slightly. His chief con-
Germ was for his parachutes, which
would have to be thoroughly dried
before repacking.
The Langley Day meet, held each
May since 1882 in honor Of Prof.
Samuel P. Langley of the Smith
sonian Institution, pioneer in aero
nautical research, has grown in size
and in interest to visiting private
flyers from nearby States with in
creasing rapidity during the last
three or four years. Next years
meet, it is believed, as result of
the unusual success of yesterdays S
event, may draw pilots from a
fourth of the States in the Union
and may rank as one of the fore
most Eastern sectional meets Of the
season.
Francis G. Addison, president Of
the Washington Board of Trade,
which. co-operated with the Derby
Association in holding yesterdays
meet. pointed out in an address at
the opening of the meet that the
two organizations have "a deep COM
mon interest in making the District
of Columbia an internationally ia
nous air traffic center"
Mr.. Addison was introduced by
Chester H. Warrington, president Of
the Derby Association. AS presi-
dent of the derby group, Mr.. War
rington has been in charge Of five
of the local meets and, as president
or governor of the Sportsman Pilots
Association, has played a leading
part in IL private pilots air tours
involving 1000, 900 miles of individual
airplane flying. In none of these
II events has there been an acci-
dent.
Yesterdays meet demonstrated the
ability of Washington private pilots,
many of them Federal employees six
days a week, to hold their own
against the best amateur flyers from
Atlantic Seaboard States. Though
outnumbered by the visitors local
contestants won every trophy but
one donated for the meet by local
civic, business and aviation organi-
cations and individuals. The only
out-of-tow winner was Russell p.
Hay of Pittsburgh, who flew here
in Cessna monoplane to capture
first place in a free-for-all closed
course race of 10 miles for aircraft
not exceeding 1000 pounds in gross
weight
The meet opened with the only
race for women pilots only, Smile
closed course event limited to air
craft with engines not exceeding 40
horsepower. The winner was Miss
Helen Frigo, an employe of the
Commerce Department. who later
closed the meet with double para
chute jump with Mr. Morders. She
landed on dry ground beside the
pond into which he dropped.
Second place was taken by Mrs.
Mary Foley Benson, employed by the
Federal Government as an artist,
who was flying her first race. Mrs
Mary Hall finished third.
Winners of Other Trophies.
Other trophy winners were:
Event B, light plane closed course
race, miles, for men pilots only,
limited to aircraft with engines not
exceeding so horsepower: First
George Kalec; second, Herbert Berl,
and third, r. G. Herring
Event c, free-for-all light plane
closed course race, miles, limited to
q oircroft with opoipoc MT oyooodipo
55 horsepower: First, Miss Johanna
Busse, chief of the thermometer di-
vision, Bureau of Standards; second,
Miss Lydia Clement, and third, Mrs.
Mary Foley Benson.
Event D, free-for-all closed course
race, 10 miles, limited to aircraft not
exceeding 5000 pounds gross weight:
First, DR.. Dudley King; second,
John E. Dorr, and third, Miss Lydia
Clement.
Event F, free -for-all closed course
race, 10 miles, limited to aircraft not
exceeding 1000 pounds: First, Rus
sell P. Hay of Pittsburgh, and sec
ond, Harrison P. Buddy" Somer-
vile, former president of the Derby
Association.
Event G. light plane closed course
race, miles, for men pilots only,
limited to aircraft with engines not
exceeding 40 horsepower: First,
George Kalec, and second, Ted
Waggy.
Prior to the Jump in which he
made his water landing Mr. Nor
ders made a delayed opening para
chute Jump from an altitude Of
10000 feet. Carrying a chemical
smoke-pot which left trail of black
smoke to mark his path, he dropped
nearly 5000 feet before opening his
parachute, a new type with a built
in steering device. He wore an
other chute for the second drop.
Chemical Session Thursday