The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-01-27
Three Planes
Set Continent
Flight Record
One Jet-Propelled Craft
Crosses U.S.. In Four
Hours, Is Minutes
TWO STOP TO REFUEL
Speed From Long Beach To
New York Almost As
Fast AS Sound

NEW YORK, Jan. 26.-(P)-The
ranscontinental flight record was
shattered today by three U. S. Ar
my jet-propelled planes, which
streaked from Long Beach, Calf,
to LaGuardia Field at speeds ap-
preaching that of sound.
All three planes were. lockheed
P-8O Pursuit ships. The one pilot
ed by Col. William H. Council.
flight test official from Wright
Field, O., flew nonstop and cover
ed the 2,47O mile distance in four
hours. IS minutes and 26 seconds
-584.82 miles an hour. Two others
stopped at Topeka, Kan, for re-
fueling.
The previous transcontinental
flight record, 2,464 miles from Bur
bank, Calf, to Floyd Bennett
Field, Brooklyn, in five hours and
81 minutes, was established last
Dec. IL with Boeing Bog Bomber.
Beat Old Records
Even the two pilots who stopped
for fuel at Topeka today beat the
old record by comfortable mar
gins. Caut. Martin c. Smith OF Kid
der, Mo-, another Army test pilot
from Wright Field, covered the
distance in four hours, 80 minutes
and Is seconds, and Capt. John S.
Babel, a Fighter pilot of the 4l2th
jet-propelled fighter group at
March Field Riverside, Calf.
made it in four hours, % minutes
and 81 seconds.
Babel, who stopped four minutes
at Topeka, made an average speed
of SOL miles an hour. Smith stop
ped six minutes at Topeka and av-
eraged $40 miles an hour.
Most of the time the planes flew
at attitudes of $4,000 to 41,000 feet.
--- Col. Councils nonstop flight
was considered in some quarters as
a sign that the problem of long
flights in pet-propelled planes had
been solved. AS recently as last
summer the problem of fuelling
pet planes for long flights was re-
ported far from Solution, Col. Coun-
ellis plane was equipped with over
sized fuel tanks. The other had
regular tanks.
The official times of today's
flights were clicked and announ-
ced by John P. V. Heinmuller, tim
er for the national aeronautics as
sociation.
Col. Council left Long Beach at
12:44::34 pm. EST) and reached
LaGuardia Field at 4:58:O0 pm.
Capt Smith left Long Beach at
12:33::35 pm. fEST) and arrived
over LaGuardia at $4,000; and
Capt. Babel started his flight at
12:58:31 (ESD and finished at
5:22:25.
Past 600 MPH At Times
Army officials sid all three plan
es probably exceeded 600 miles an
hour at times.
Col. Council left Long Beach
with Las gallons of fuel, and on
arrival here had 120 gallons left.
He was voluble with praise of his
plane, saying ''the engine function
ed, perfectly
st flew as far as st. Joseph, Mo-,
at $4,000 feet" said Col. Council.
"From St. Joe to New York came
in at 10000 to Al, 1000 feet. had my
oxygen mask on, and I was COM
Portable, but it looked pretty cold
outside. I started to let down from
Al 900 feet around Sunbury, Pa,
and I buzzed LaGuardia Field at
1000 feet, and my indicator regist-
cred 615 miles an hour"
He estimated his top speed at
about $50 miles an hour, made be-
tween Chanute Field, ILL.,, and Ak
ron, O.
"From Chanute Field to New
York I never saw the ground he
said. then I let down, and the
Continued on Page Two; Col. u