S-35

It is seven years since a humming speck moved across the 1,960 miles of fog-hung ocean separating Newfoundland and Ireland, and deposited Captain John W. Alcock and Lieutenant A. Whitten Brown safely on "the other side" in 16 hours, 12 minutes. The late Lord Northcliffe enriched those two flyers with some $50,000 in prize money and prophesied that soon London newspapers would be sold the day of issue in Manhattan. But no man has since attempted the feat of a non-stop transatlantic passage in a heavier-than-air* machine, though of late years a Manhattan hotel man, Raymond Orteig, has been offering $25,000 to see it duplicated. Lately, in and about Manhattan, there has moved a stalwart, not-very-tall young man with the gait of a college quarterback and a stiff little mustache like a French soldier's. One day last week he dropped in on Mayor Walker and through an interpreter--for the young man is entitled to his mustache, and speaks none but his native language--told his grinning host that he, too, had been a mayor once but found the job too difficult. Mayor Walker ejaculated: "I am surprised you didn't make a good mayor! A mayor is up in the air a good deal of the time! Ha ha!" This was a jovial pun, for the Mayor's guest was no other than the Allied ace of aces, destroyer of the Boche terror Herr Wisseman, avenger of famed Ace Guynemer, M. le Capitaine Rene Fonck, late of the French Cigognes ("Storks," crack escadrille). He had called to explain more or less formally that he was about to fly across the Atlantic, starting from Roosevelt Field, L. I. The Man. In uniform, Captain Fonck is heavily encrusted with medals, palms and citations, as befits the youngest (aged 31) officer of the Legion of Honor, the "D'Artagnan of the Air." None shot down more planes than he, either during one day (6 for Fonck, with but 10 bullets each) or during the whole war (75 for Fonck, the first 32 without permitting a single bullet-hole in his own plane). His long light hair lies smoothly on his broad Alsatian forehead. His hands are quick, eyes alert, his whole body in the fighting trim that he believes is essential to flying in peace or war. Now, of course, he wears civilian clothes, but his military smartness still crops out, as when press photographers caught him in his shirt-sleeves and suspenders at Roosevelt Field a fortnight ago. He was "ashamed," tried to suppress the picture. Years ago France's good angel must have whispered to Rene Fonck that he must learn early about fleet machines, for at 13 he began to study mechanical engineering and soon after to drive racing cars. In 1913, aged 18, it took him but two months to earn his pilot's certificate. Since the War he has stayed in civil aviation continuously--except for the eight-day honorary term as mayor of Saulcy-sur-Meurthe, his birthplace in the Vosges. The Motives. Captain Fonck came to the U. S. last year for the Pulitzer air races. Hearing that Engineer Igor Sikorsky was building monster trimotored planes on Long Island for long-distance flights, it occurred to him to inquire about a trans-Atlantic flight, primarily as a sporting proposition; secondly, to promote aviation by scientific accomplishments; thirdly, as an afterthought, to promote Franco-American goodwill. Engineer Sikorsky consented swiftly and bonded himself for $40,000 to a group called The Argonauts, Inc., formed to back Captain Fonck, that a ship, the S-35, would be made within 10% of certain specifications. No mention was made by Captain Fonck of Hotelman Orteig's $25,000 prize money and last week, with the Sikorsky ship a-testing, the public had all but forgotten there was a prize . Data. Captain Fonck's two care fully-chosen U. S. companions for the flight are Captain Homer M. Berry, pilot, and Lieut. Allan P. Snody, navigator. The S-35 has a wingspread of 101 feet. Her motors are three Gnome-Rhone-Jupiters, 425 h.p. apiece, brought over, installed and tested by the makers mechanic She will carry seven tons of gasoline, 1,500 lbs. of oil, enough for 4,300 miles (about 700 miles margin for defection or head winds) in the 3,660-mile route from New York to Paris.

The route follows the "great circle" (natural curve of the globe) :

Boston, Halifax, Cape Breton, Cape Bonavista, Cape Clear (Ireland), Cornwall, Cherbourg, LeHavre, Paris. The ship will probably be started with all three motors roaring, a special carriage being necessary to help her off the ground. (This will be dropped en route, ordinary wheels serving for the Paris landing.) As fuel is used up, one motor will be cut out, then another, leaving two reserve motors for the end of the flight. The average speed will be 110 m.p.h.; estimated flying time, New York-to-Paris, 35 hrs. All the past week, U. S. weather men have been mapping Atlantic air-currents for Captain Fonck's benefit. Trans-Atlantic steamers have flashed weather reports. Steamships are supplied with cards bearing silhouettes of the S-35 to aid in recognition, and instructions for reporting, having sighted her. The S-35 carries an elaborate radio outfit and has been assigned special wavelengths by the Department of Commerce.

A committee headed by Lieut. Commander Richard E. ("North Pole") Byrd will supervise the S-35's takeoff, inspect and seal her fuel tanks, bid the final Godspeed.

This week, the S-35 was scheduled to make trial flights along the Atlantic seaboard. Then, three motors thundering, tricouleur and Stars-and-Stripes whipping, she will dare greatly, her three intrepid manipulators tense at their posts in a cabin which, with true Gallic esprit, le Capitaine Fonck has had decorated in gold, silver, cream and mahogany.

* Just prior to the Alcock-Brown flight, Pilot Harry Hawker and Lieut. MacKenzie Grieve made a bid for the Northcliffe money in a single-motored plane, but pitched into the sea short of Ireland, being rescued by a Danish tramp-steamer. The U. S. Army globe-fliers (1924) stopped at Greenland en route from Scotland. Dirigibles to cross the Atlantic without a stop: the R34 (British), 1919; the ZR3 (Los Angeles), 1924.