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

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM

DRAFT

As we were completing the flights, Lt. Arnold had a very narrow escape from a serious crash. We had finished our work for the morning on the firing range and were preparing to fly back to the parade ground at the Fort. I discovered I had a flat tire and had remained long enough to fix it -which took about 15 minutes. Arnold went ahead and I followed a short time later. When I got over the field, one of the miniature whirlwinds which occur on sunshiny days in that country, struck my plane and turned it more than 90 degrees - naturally, the plane stalled byt after diving a short distance, I pulled it out and landed safely. I found everybody on the ground in a uproar - they told that Arnold had had a narrow escpace and he was a the Headquarters with the [[crossed-out]] bachelor officers with whom he was staying. I joined them and found them all assembled around the table loaded with [[crossed-out]] champagne. They were celebrating the fact that he had not been killed. He tole [told] me that his plane had been struck by the whirlwind and that he had dived toward the ground. I could not understand why he had not followed the instructions so carefully given us by Orville Wright.... that is to push the control lever forward and hold it there until speed is regained and then ease the plane out of the dive. Of course, when your plane is dropping in a stall and practically vertical, the tendency  is to pull back and place the elevator in a climbing position. This, of course, accentuates a stall. Arnold told me he kept pulling back and on the last pull, the plane came out just inches above the ground. That was his last flight - he told me - he [[crossed-out]] never intended to fly again and after a few months with the Signal Office in Washington he was [[crossed-out]] released and returned to the Infantry. Fortunately, he came back again in the First World War.

   It was becoming difficult to handle all of the school activities at College Park. Curtiss was conducting a school at North Island, San Diego and he invited the Curtiss contingent to move there. This was thought to be an excellent idea and the Curtiss pilots and planes were sent to San Diego under command of Lt.Geiger.

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