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PAGE EIGHT.      ELMIRA STAR-GAZETTE, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1930. 

O'Meara Keeps Glider Up Hour and Quarter; Beating Hirth's Mark

Young Akron, O. Pilot Eclipses Sunday Performance of German by More than 15 Minutes - Sticking Rudder, Lack of Wind Curtails FLight - Pilot Unhurt in Long Side SLip to Bean Patch- Bowlus, National Champ, Arrives- Major Purcell New Referee. 

By remaining aloft one hour and 15 minutes, Jack O'Meara of Akron, O., led the duration field in the National Soaring Contests Tuesday. 

His flight, made from South Mountain in an Akron Kondor, was brought to an abrupt close by rudder failure and lack of wind. He eclipsed the performance of Wolf Hirth, Germain pilot who gave an exhibition of soaring Sunday, by more than 15 minutes. 

O'Meara's take-off was made with only a slight breeze blowing. Tossed into the air by a crew on a rubber shock cord, he turned his glider back toward the ridge of South Mountain bordering South Creek valley. 

He lost little altitude during the first half mile and when near the ridge was caught by a strong upper current which carried him far above the height of the starting field. 

Near Tree Tops
He maintained his altitude when over the hills but was unable to regain it on his return to the starting field. For upwards of an hour he soared over this course. Many times he passed over the heads of the spectators on the top of the ridge and on other trips his winds almost brushed the trees under the brow of the hill. It often looked like a forced landing for the Akron flyer. 

Before the flight was brought to a close, O'Meara made a final effort to gain altitude. He made a long dive but found the upward currents from the hillsides had turned to calm. He was seen last by the spectators on South Mountain as he disappeared over a nearby mound in a great side slip. 

O'Meara told the judges his rudder had "frozen" in a left turn, causing his craft to head for timberland on the side of the hill. Acting quickly, he side slipped in an endeavor to use his stabilizer as a rudder. He dropped 300 feet into a bean patch and landed without injury to himself or damage to his glider. 

For more than a half hour after he was lost to sight, word of his whereabouts was anxiously awaited by those at the starting field. The tension was relieved when Hirth took to the air and on returning over the field announced that O'Meara had landed on a fence but was uninjured. Hirth had mistaken the rows of beans for a fence. 

Hirth In Flight
At about 5 p.m. the German flyer took to the air after announcing he might attempt to land at his starting point. He was unable to regain altitude on the ridges, however. After soaring for more than a half hour he glided downward making sharp turns and banks, landing at the airport 42 minutes and 7 seconds after leaving the ground. 

A.C. Haller of Pittsburgh, in making a spot landing at the airport, came within 37 feet, 11 inches of the flag. He was flying the German plane of Edgar Dittmar, Kassel, Germany, which holds the official record of nine and one-half hours sustained flight at Rhoen, Germany. The is the Wasserkopp record. The glider also hold the unofficial altitude record of 9,600 feet at the Wasserkopp of 12,600 feet above sea level. The glider is made of plywood with fabric trailing edges and weighs 320 pounds. It was built by Ackermann, the famous German glider expert who has con

Ideal Weather For Soaring Is On Way
A low atmospheric pressure area is reported traveling eastward and is expected to pass over New York State today or tomorrow. When it arrives conditions here for gliding will be greatly improved, according to officials of the National Soaring Contests. 

Low areas mean strong wind so that glider pilots will be able to demonstrate their abilities with this type of aircraft. 

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Jack O'Meara and his Akron Kondor, features of the National Soaring Contests Tuesday, are shown in the above pictures snapped by The Star-Gazette cameraman at the South Mountain field. O'Meara is shown shaking hands with W.Hawley Bowlus of California, national glider champion, just before starting his hour and a quarter flight the lonest since the contests opened Sunday. In the inset the glider is shown being catapulted into the air. The shock cord is still attached to the nose of the ship.