‘Round the World

Jules Verne described a journey round the world in 80 days. His efficient hero took the fastest steamers and trains, never missed a connection. Airmen may cut this time to 30 days. The U. S., England, France, Portugal are all in friendly rivalry to achieve the first flight ’round the world. The English pilot, Sir Keith Smith, has already flown from England to Australia; the Portuguese have great confidence in Admiral Gago Continho and Captain Sacadura Cabral, who flew last year from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. In the U. S., Major General Mason M. Patrick, chief of the Army Air Service, who is fostering the American plans, will select men who have not yet been in the limelight, though thoroughly qualified and experienced men —to “give every one a chance,” as is the Air Service policy.

The U. S. expedition will include from four to six planes. The planes must have a gasoline capacity of 1500 miles. They are now being selected by Lieut. Erik H. Nelson, who was engineer officer on the recent Alaskan and Porto Rican flights. Two points are certain. They will be equipped with Liberty motors (still the most reliable aero engine built) and will be of American design. The joy of victory in Macready and Kelly’s transcontinental flight was sadly marred by the thought that they flew in a Fokker plane.

The airmen will fly facing the sun. Testing their craft by a long flight across the continent from Seattle to the Atlantic coast, they will fly to Europe, probably by way of Greenland or Iceland, thence through Central and Southern Europe, Asia Minor, Arabia, India, China, Japan; and home by way of Alaska. This itinerary will cover 27,000 miles, nonrecognition of the Soviet Government precluding the much shorter route through Siberia.

The aviators will face every type of climate, all possible difficulties in navigation, a doubtful welcome in many strange lands amidst strange and semi-civilized peoples. Yet good hopes of success are entertained.