Flights & Flyers

Tree. Flying the mail between Salt Lake City and Pasco, Wash., for Varney Air Lines, Pilot Jack O'Brien passes over a tiny settlement in the treeless desert near the Idaho-Utah boundary. Always a group of children and their teacher run out from the schoolhouse to wave at their "friend"; always Pilot O'Brien waggles his wings in salute. Last week, to the joy and amazement of the youngsters, Pilot O'Brien circled the schoolhouse at low altitude, dropped a tree, flew on. Looking back, he could see the children seize it, drag it toward the schoolhouse--probably the first Christmas tree they ever had.

Surprise. His plane loaded with Christmas presents, Pilot Maryan Freiter swooped over his parents' home in Philadelphia to announce his "surprise" home coming. He waved to his brother, started to climb, crashed to his death.

Inspector General. Aside from their feats of flying the Atlantic cleanly, points of resemblance between Charles Augustus Lindbergh and Dieudonne ("Doudou") Coste are few. But last week arose a new one. Much as Col. Lindbergh became technical adviser for T. A. T. and Pan American Airways. Capt. Coste an nounced himself inspector general of lines (technical adviser) for the French air transport system, Air Union.

Right after the War, Coste flew for Air Union as a $25-per-week pilot on the new London-Paris route. His famed flying companion, Maurice Bellonte, was his navigator and radioman in that service. For all the talk of "millions" in store for them, Coste & Bellonte together realized no more than $100,000 from their 1930 trans-atlantic flight and all that went with it. According to Variety's Paris correspondence: "They came home tired and disillusioned. French Government carried them on the hip for $300,000. No way to get that back." Balbo's Squadron. Into the little harbor of Bolama on the west coast of Africa last week glided 14 Savoia-Marchetti flying boats. Led by Italy's 34-year-old air minister, General Italo Balbo, they had flown in four stages from Orbetello, near Rome. Now mechanics swarmed over the ships--great twin-hulled craft, each with two 500-h. p. Fiat engines--preparing twelve of them for a single flight of 1,860 mi. to Natal, Brazil. In formation of four triads, each designated by a wing-color (red, black, green, white) and each plane manned by a crew of four, the fleet was to take off with the full moon of New Year week. From Natal they may fly on to Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. The journey from Orbetello to Bolama consumed one week. Six of the flying boats (including General Balbo's) were forced down by storm on the first day, and held for three days on one of the Balearic islands. Later three others were downed by engine trouble, but all 14 made the last leg in perfect formation.

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