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AVIATOR CUTS RECORD WASHINGTON STAR WASHINGTON D.C. SEPTEMBER 2ND,1911 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM AVIATOR CUTS RECORD Accurate Landing mark Is Broken at College Park. ARMY OFFICERS IN FLIGHT Lieut. Thomas De Witte Milling Drive Aeroplane Within Five Feet of Given Spot Before Aero Club of America Judge-Soldiers Obtain Pilots' License by Passing Stringent Tests. Battling against a strong wind, Thomas De Witte Milling , a lieutenant in the United States army, broke the world's record for accurate landing in an areoplane yesterday afternoon at the College Park aviation field. Milling made his landing within five feet of a given mark, taking exactly one foot off the former record established and held by Walter Brookins, who made the mark of [? 6] feet last September in Boston. The record stands as the official mark, having been made in the presence of Dr. J. W. Bovee, chief of the contest committee of the Aero Club of America, who was conducting the pilot's license test for Lieuts. Milling and Arnold. One of the requirements of the test is that the aviator shall bring his machine to a stop within 50 meters of a given point, having shut off his engine before alighting. Machine Covers Mark. The mark was a canvas bag about two feet long, and Milling, on his first trial, brought the machine to a stop directly over and covering the mark. A great cheer arose from the bystanders, who thought it was a perfect landing, and that Milling would be credited with a mark of two or three inches. The rule further stated, however, that the distance must be measured from the center of the mark to the center of the pilot's seat. When this was done it was found that Milling had clipped a foot off the world's record. Lieut. Arnold in his first flight came within 40 feet of the mark, and on his second flight 20 feet. Milling on his last flight came down with such speed that he found difficulty in bringing the aeroplane to a halt at 89 feet from the mark. On this landing, however, had one of the judges as a passenger, and just as he was about to land, a gust of wind caught him and hoisted the plane several feet in the air. Both the young aviators, Milling and Arnold, had little difficulty in measuring up to the required standard of the aero Club of America in order to secure their pilot's license. Although a wind of at least 25 miles was blowing across the field, they both handled the machine with the utmost accuracy. In completing in the test for a pilot's license the aviator is required to give an exhibition of his prowess in making all kinds of turns comprised in the figure 8. He is made to go through the evolution of this figure ten times, and is required to make the turns outside of two stakes that are 500 meters apart. He is required to reach a certain altitude, generally about 50 meters, or 165 feet, of a given mark. After the tests yesterday Dr. J.W. Bovee said that the two young officers at College Park handle an aeroplane as well as any one in the country. Brookins Held Record. Herefore Walter Brookins, Phillp O Parmelee, Charles F. Willard, and Lincoln Beachey were the holders of the world records for accuracy in landing. All the records were made in a Wright machine, with the exception of the one by Willard, who drove a Curtiss biplane at Los Angeles, Willard's feat was perhaps the most remarkable landing that had ever been accomplished in an aeroplane up until last year, when Brookins established a new mark. Willard landed a 4-foot leeway on all sides of the areoplane. In view of the fact that Willard made his mark in a Curtiss machine, and Milling's was made in a Wright, it would be hard to compare the two records. The others, however, can be compared, because the tests were all held under the same circumstances and bear comparison. Lincoln Beachy was the first to establish a world's mark, and made it in 4 feet. Phillip O. Parmelee lowered this mark to 12 feet.
