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FIRST AERO SQUADRON

Texas City, Texas.
April 1, 1913.

From: Second Lieutenants T. De. Milling and William C. Sher an,

To: The Chief Signal Officer of the Army.

Subject: Report on trip from Texas City, Texas, to San Antonio, Texas, and return, in Burgess-Wright tractor biplane No. 9.

1. In going from Texas City to San Antonio left the ground at 2:15P.M. March 28, 1913 in an east wind of 25 miles per hour. After circling the field for five minutes and attaining an altitude of 900 feet, started for San Antonio. It was originally intended to make the flight by compass, verifying the course by prominent points. However, the air was extremely rough, and so hazy that objects over two miles away could not be distinguished. Accordingly, after following a compass course West until the Santa Fe Railroad was reached, at a point five miles east of Algoa, it was determined to follow this. The route followed passed through Algos, Arcola and Richmond, Eagle Lake, Columbus, Flatonia, and Luling to Fort Sam Houston. We arrived over Fort Sam Houston at 5:35P.M., and continued circling the field until 6:37, when we landed. The total distance from Texas City to Fort Sam Houston over the route followed is 224 miles, making an average velocity of 68.9 miles per hour. The total time in air was four hours twenty-two minutes.

Miner repairs were made March 29, 1913, and it was intended to start back March 30, when weather conditions were unusually good, but the preliminary trial flight demonstrated the weakness of one skid and the return was postponed until March 31. The start was made on this date at 1:29 P.M. in a SSE wind of 20 miles per hour, which afterward shifted into South. The route followed was the same as in going over, and the landing was made at Texas City at 5:17 P.M. The total time in air was three hours fifty seven minutes; the average velocity 56 miles per hour.

2. The country from Texas City to Eagle Lake is flat and covered with saw grass. It is practically treeless, except for belts of a few hundred yards in width along the banks of rivers. From Eagle Lake to San Antonio there are forests with cultivated areas interspersed. The country becomes rolling just east of San Antonio. On both trips extremely rough air was encountered over the forested country. On the return trip the temperature was very high and a great deal of difficulty was experiences with up and down trends. The latter predominated, and, combined with the gusts, made climbing very difficult. The machine was dropped, on one occasion, about six hundred feet and it was frequently necessary to dive it 50 to 100 feet, when one wing dropped, to gain equilibrium. From Colombus to Bernard the gusts were moderate, but increased in strength there, and continued until we were within ten miles of the coast, where they again moderated. Some of the severest gusts occurred over country that was absolutely flat, and following a period of comparative calm. It is believed these were due to the action of the sun on the moist ground below, as they were particularly noticeable in the vicinity of marshy lands. One gust was so strong