Evening star., 1945-09-19
BY ROBERT BRUSKIN.

By ROBERT BRUSKIN.
Averaging 800 miles per hour
three B-29 Super Fortresses fly.
ing nonstop from Japan tc
Washington passed over Edmon-
ton, Alberta, at 1l:40 am
(E. w. IT, today after a flight
over the Kuriles and Alaska.
A message from the command
plane said that at that time they
were 2,O65 miles from Washington
AS the gasoline load lightened il
was expected their speed would in
crease. The flight, headed toward
Winnipeg, Canada, was expected tc
enter the United States north OF
Bismark, N. Oak.
Weather forecasts showed that the
planes had unlimited visibility
along the entire route and there wa!
no indication they will encounter
any difficulty. They are due al
National Airport at pm.
1t. Gen. Barney M. Giles is com.
mander of the flight and pilot CT
the lead plane.
Air Forces officers at the airport
said that a distinguished gathering
including former Secretary of Wal
StimSon, Secretary Patterson, Gen
Henry H. Arnold, Navy officials anc
members of Congress would be al
the airport to meet them.
Nothing to Stop U.s.
1--WE can see nothing from here
that will stop u.s." Gen. Giles
radioed earlier this morning. May
have to squeeze a couple of gas cell:
to make it"
Carrying a total of IS crewmen
the three planes took off from Mizu-
tani airport. Hokkaido, at 4:01 pm
(EWT) yesterday. Due to the In
ternational Date Line crossing, the
planes took off Wednesday, Japa-
nese time and after the Isl 12-houl
flight, will arrive Wednesday, W sh-
ington time.
Air Forces officials acknowledged
embarrassment after they had noti-
fled the press that the planes were
attempting "the longest nonstop
aerial flight in history
British Hold Record.
Yoter M ,,ror,n+;po of n rourc
paper reporter who had access to 6
world almanac, the Air Forces re.
stored the record to the British who
flew two specially constructed
planes total of 7,158 miles from
Ismailia, Egypt, to Darwin, Aus
tralia, on November ST, 1888.
The fight now in progress, how
ever the Air Forces said, is the
longest flight by B-29, the longes
flight between Asia and the Unitee
States and the longest flight by ar
American plane.
officials here said that it would bt
impossible for the planes to con.
tinue after reaching Washington il
an effort to establish new record
One officer estimated that each
plane would have used $500 of it:
total load of 10000 gallons of gas
at the time they reached the Ma.
tional Airport.
Icing Condition Encountered.
Slight icing conditions were en-
1c
between $4,000 and $4,000 feet ano
the planes climbed to approximately
10000 feet.
After a slow start caused chiefly
by the heavy loads they carried, the
planes encountered tail winds ano
at one time reported they hao
travelled 81 miles in 18 minutes
after leaving White Horse, Canada
Between White Horse and Edmon-
ton the planes few over the Ca
madam Rockies. They flew con-
tinuously in sight of each other.
While fying>over the tip of Kam-
chatka, which is Russian territory
three American-bu P-63 King
cobras, piloteds by Russians, flew
alongside and performed acrobatics
Gen. Giles reported by radio.
Planes Stripped of Armor.
Each plane was stripped of its
guns and some armor plate for the
attempt, which the Goth Air Force
said was intended as concrete ex-
ample of the current and future po-
tentialities of air power"
Each craft carried a high-rank-
Ing air forces general who had
helped make history with the B-29s
Gen. Giles, deputy commander oi
the United States Strategic All
Forces in the Pacific, commanded
the flight. Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Ii
May, chief of staff to Gen. Giles
commanded the second plane, and
Brig. Gen. Emmett Rosy) O'Don.
nell, commander of the goth Ali
Forces 73d Bombar Wing, the first
Of the B-29s to bomb Tokyo, COM
nanded the third.
Iwo-Spokane Hop Set Record.
The previous record for American
long-distance flights was recent
B-29 hop from Two Jima to Spo-
kane, distance of 5,490 miles which
was completed in % hours and 3;
minutes. A four -engined C-54 plane
few from Tokyo to Washington in
81 hours and Is minutes, but ii
stopped to refuel at Adak, in Alaska
Crews of the planes are:
Plane No. l-Gen. Giles, Mai
Frederick B. Schaeffer, pilot. New
Cumberland, Pa; Maj. Albert S
(See B-29S, Page A-40