Flights & Flyers

Mud. At Shreveport, La., stunt-loving Radio Station KWKH, owned by Henderson Iron Works, rushed a plane into the air for an endurance flight to anticipate the time when endurance attempts would become too banal for public attention. The plane stayed up 128 hours. Averred E. B. Redline, flight director: malicious persons put mud in the gasoline supply.

Water in gasoline supplied him at one of his refueling stops, and not storms in themselves, forced Captain Ross G. Hoyt down and led to his crash on his 8,500-mi. New York-Nome-New York flight, he reported to the War Department last week.

Schlee Hurt. Two years ago Edward F. Schlee and William Brock flew eastward across the Atlantic and Eurasia as far as Tokyo. Their fame helped set them up in business at Detroit as the Schlee-Brock Aircraft Corp. sales agents. Last week at Detroit, Flyer Schlee was turning over a plane propeller by hand, to start the motor. He failed to maintain the gingerliness essential for handstarting a plane motor. His motor did not start. The propeller kicked back, struck him, tore flesh, broke an arm bone, concussed his brain. Detroit surgeons found that he had a fair chance to live.

Ingalls Inspects. David Sinton Ingalls. Assistant Secretary of the Navy in charge of Aeronautics, last week began an air inspection trip to all Navy stations and bases. He flew his own plane solo, and, like a cavalry officer with his aide trotting behind, had Commander R. P. Molten flying along in another plane.

1,000,000 Miles. "It must make an old cowman mad to see a fellow in shiny boots and polo pants riding a slick horse. Well, it hurts in a way to see these mail pilots climbing up into heated cabins or cockpits and talking to somebody on the ground over the radiophone." Thus re-pined E. Hamilton Lee, 37, who flew the first experimental air mail routes for the Government eleven years ago. Planes were relatively primitive then, routes unmarked, every trip a life's risk. Reason for Senior Pilot Lee's last week's thought: retrospection. He had just completed 1,000,000 miles of flying. He works for Boeing Air Transport, most of whose pilots were previously in the difficult Air Mail Service.

Axelson Engine. Axelson Machine Co. of Los Angeles were justly vexed at the report that a broken valve had ended an endurance flight at Minneapolis (TIME, July 8). That plane was driven by a seven-cylinder radial Axelson motor (developed last year), which carried the Axelson pride--a device equalizing valve lifts and minimizing the strains which break valves. What investigation showed actually stopped the flight was a nut which broke because a mechanic had not properly tightened a companion nut.

Senator Bingham Blimps. Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut last week was inspecting the balloon hangars at Langley Field, Va. Came urgent summons to attend the Senate Finance Committee's hearing on the tariff at Washington, 140 miles away. Capt. William J. Flood of the Army Air Corps, who earlier in the year landed a blimp on the roof of the Munitions Building in Washington, offered and proceeded to blimp the senator to "the front door of the capitol," depositing him conveniently in the plaza near the Senate wing. Predicted the most air-conscious senator: "That's the way all congressmen will arrive here soon."