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MILLING, T. DEWITT, BRIG. GEN. USAF. - BIOG. FILE - FOLDER NO. 2 ITEM NO. 5A

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM

DRAFT

During the summer District National Guard had its yearly encampment at Frederick, Maryland, about 30 milew from Washington. We were invited to fly over and visit the encampment. This, of course, was quite a long flight for the time. We started out bright and early in the morning - one plane carried Arnold and Chandler and the other carried Kurtland and myself. After passing Kensington about 10 miles away, I found the pan beneath the motor [[crossed out]] dripping in [[/crossed out]] full of oil and oil splashing on the plane. Naturally I [[crossed out]] examined [[/crossed out]] assumed the crank case [[?]] was broken and I attempted to land in a farmer's field. I got down safely but the right front [[crossed out]] runner [[/crossed out]] skid was crushed, having hit a rock [[crossed out]] of [[/crossed out]] or Hummock. [[crossed out]] which also broke the screen. [[/crossed out]] I [[crossed out]] got out and [[/crossed out]] examined the motor and found that the mechanic, in his zeal, had put too much oil in the crank case and it was the excess that was being thrown out We could easily have taken off had it not been for the broken skid. Arnold arrived safely in frederick - spent the day and on the return trip he was lost and also forced to land so that both planes were finally brought in [[crossed out]] after [[/crossed out]] for repairs.
[[crossed out]] At that in [[/crossed out]] While flying, it was [[crossed out]] less [[/crossed out]] always necessary to [[crossed out]] examine [[/crossed out]] assume that the motor [[crossed out]] as it [[/crossed out]] might stop at any [[crossed out]] moment [[/crossed out]] time. Also the power was so small - 35 h.p., that the difference between high speed and stalling was only about 8 miles. Consequent [[crossed out]] g [[/crossed out]] ly, if [[crossed out]]your [[/crossed out]] the motor [[crossed out]]would [[/crossed out]] should stop[[crossed out]] you [[/crossed out]] we had to be very careful and quick in [[crossed out]] your [[/crossed out]] their reactions to effect a landing without stalling the machine, [[crossed out]] and falling [[/crossed out]]. An illustration of this - I had just taken off [[crossed out]] the misfortune to take off [[/crossed out]] one day and [[crossed out]] while [[/crossed out]] was flying toward the end of the field at which point there was a growth of small trees about 15 of 20 feet high. The connecting rod broke off from the cylinder and [[crossed out]] and one of the cylinders broke through [[/crossed out]] was punching through the cylinder wall. I immediately [[crossed out]] l [[/crossed out]] cut  [[crossed out]] off [[/crossed out]] my motor but also realized if I attempted to turn back to the field I would stall the plane and crash. In such a case the only thing to do is to go straight ahead. This I did,

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM
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