The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-07-16
Fifty-Eight Planes
Compose Largest
Overwater Flight
In History OF JETS
By MILO FARNETl

~ = 49, = ~ Ast 10y SA80t ~ -
Thunderjefs darted down onto Yo-
kota Air Force Base near Tokyo
today, completing the biggest mass
jet overwater flight ii history-@-
1885 miles across the United
States and the Pacific Ocean from
Turner Air Force Base, Albany,
Ga.
Fifty nine were due but one e.
ploded Tuesday over Two Jima,
south Of Japan, killing the pilot,
1t. Col Elmer DaRosa, Sacra-
mento, Calf.
Gen. Otto Weyland. commander
Of the q. S. Far East Air Forces,
met the pilots and told them they
| will go to Korea occasionally for
combat.
He called the mass flight zone
evidence of our beefing up in the
Far East, beefing up ii aIl types
of planes
Col. David Schilline, Kansas
City, q pioneer jet ocean fIier, led
the flight Of new model F-SlG lets,
first operational type equipped for
aerial refnelling.
The planes from the 3Ist Fighter
Escort Wing took off from Turner
Air Base July 4 and made seven
landings en- route. They were re-
fueled in flight several times from
B-29 Superfort tanker p1oneo.
1T is q significant achieve
ment,' Weyland said. ssThe flight
proves tactical airplanes can Be
moved to any part Of the world
at the drop of q hat.
Weyland told newsmen more
Sabre jets--the only American
fighter able to stand up to the
Communist MIG15are on the way
also. ''But we don't want to Be
too specific"
Reports from the United States
indicate the Air Force Is increas-
ing Its plane strength perhaps IS
much as 40 per cent to meet !
potential drive by the Red air force
of 1900 to 1000 planes.
Gen. j. Lawton Collins, u. 8.
Army chief Of staff touring the
Far East, said in Tokyo Tuesday
the Reds are In for an even tough
er pounding from the air Il TIE
war continues.
Allied planes staged the two big
gest raids Of the war in the last
three Weeks--at Pyongyang last
week and against Is North Korean
hydroelectric installations, includ-
ing the great Suihc plant, June q.
Weyland said the new Thunder
jets are reserve strength Sin case
anybody wants to start up any
thing bigger" He also showed no
apparent concern over the report
ed Red JET fighter force.
The MICS can't GET deep down
into Souht Korea" he said, .and
on top Of that, / don't think they
want TO. !.
Weyland said the Thunderjets
viii be assigned to the Japan De-
Tense Force on 80 days Temporary
duty and will fly to Korea occa.
sionally. Some of the sIst's pilots
flew combat missions in Korea
earlier in the war.
The long flight demonstrated the
Air Force now can nv fighter
planes to the combat thester IN
stead Of sending them BY ship.
Normally, the tanker planes r..
fleled the Thunderjets ii ~
minutes.
Schilling said his pilots had liz
tle trouble in spanning the Pacific
But he admitted:
You get kinda tense out n the
middle Of the Pacific looking Tor
the tanker planes.
Each Plane flew with loaded ma
chine guns and four extra fi,el
tanks. two on The wings and two
on The belly. The Thunderjets
landed At Travis Air Force Bsse
near San Francisco, Hawaii Mia.
wy. Wake. Eniwetok. Guam and
Two lima en- route. The 2.soo mile
stretch between Travis and Hawaii
81 new oyer-waser lei flirht