Aeolus & Zephir

This week that intrepid transatlantic exhibitionist, Crooner Harry Richman, and his pilot. Dick Merrill, headed back across the ocean from England to the U. S., ran out of gas over Newfoundland, plopped into a bog with slight damages to plane and flyers. Few days before, two really important transatlantic flights had been accomplished with much more efficiency and much less ballyhoo by Germany's Lufthansa.

In 1929 Germany's No. 1 airline started catapulting ship-to-shore airplanes from the Bremen and Europa. Since February 1934, Lufthansa has been running a regular weekly airplane mail service across the South Atlantic, using a catapult ship anchored off either shore. By last week Lufthansa was ready to tackle the more formidable North Atlantic on the experimental co-operative basis arranged with the U. S. and Pan American Airways last winter (TIME, Feb. 24).

To Horta in the Azores, some 500 miles off Lisbon, sped the mothership Schwabenland. Aboard were the world's most powerful catapult and two sleek new Dornier all-metal flying boats, the Aeolus and Zephir. High-winged monoplanes with sponsons, powered by two Junkers Diesel engines in tandem on the wing-top, they weigh ten tons, have a cruising speed of 135 m.p.h. Anchoring 100 miles off Horta, the Schwabenland prepared to send one plane non-stop to New York, the other to Bermuda, then to New York. Reason the start was from the Azores is that Lufthansa regards the flight there from Germany as child's play. The planes are catapulted so they might take off with a greater load than they could lift from the water.

First away was the Aeolus, bound for Bermuda. After 60 miles it turned back with trouble in the air-cooling system. Same evening the Zephir shot away, uneventfully buzzed the 2,390 miles to Pan American's Long Island base at Manhasset Bay. With four men aboard, the silver and yellow flying boat covered the route in 22 hours, using Pan American's radio as a guidepost. Shrugged Ruddy Captain Joachim Blankenburg: "A routine flight . . . an everyday event. I am glad to say, however, that we had about everything the ocean could offer in the way of weather."

Two days later, in dropped the Aeohis, having made the 2,063 miles to Bermuda in 18 hours, the 770 miles on to Manhasset in six. Both planes tied up to await the arrival of the Schwabenland this week when they will be catapulted away for the return flights.

Significance of last week's flights was that they thoroughly proved that transatlantic airplane service is feasible. Probably by next spring, say the Germans, regular flights will commence, but only to carry mail and express. For transoceanic passenger flights, Germany puts its trust in dirigibles like the Hindenburg which during the past summer made ten round trips between Frankfort and Lakehurst without a hitch.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.