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[[image]] Loops Loop Standing on Plane _______ FLYING CIRCUS WILL THRILL FAIR CROWD ________ James Leaps From Speed- ing Auto to Plane. ________ Notice has been received by the state fair association that Ruth Law, accompanied by the members of her flying circus, will arrive in Des Moines Tuesday ready for the series of aerial flights with which she will entertain fair crowds. Miss Law is having her plane shipped here this year, instead of flying to the city in it, as is occasionally her custom. The planes of the other members of her company are also coming by rail. Fear that an accident might injure them and cause delays in the program here brought about the precaution. The two aviators who will share headliner's place with the popular aviatrix are Lieut. Verne Treat, an American ace of the world war, and her youngest pupil, Louis (Daredevil) James. James is noted for his stunt of leaping from a speeding automobile to catch hold of a rope ladder dangling from a speeding plane. He twists his heels into the ropes and hand head downward after he has grasped the ladder Treat drives the plane from which the ladder is hung. Treat also appears into a program of illuminated night flying, interspersing many daring loops and dips. Miss Law's famous trick is climbing out on the wings of Treat's plane and standing there while he loops and speeds. The flying circus will perform each afternoon and evening in front of the grandstand, beginning Aug. 26. [[image]] Birmingham Boy First To Transfer From Automobile To Aeroplane at High Speed _____ Twice transferring himself from a fast-driven Premocar racing automobile to a Curtiss airplane at the fairgrounds yester- [[image]] Editorial JANUARY 13, 1921 MEN, WOMEN AND THINGS About a week ago Jim Dent superintendent of the Alabama State fair, said to me: "Doc, Charley Oliver is in town and he is going to stage some air-plane stunts down at the fair ground." • • • Now, Charley is some boy, and knows the flying and exhibition game about as well as any man in America, but to be sure you know who I am talking about, I will state that he is the husband of Ruth Law. He isn't the only man who has to get his bid for notoriety through his silent partner. • • • Charley came on ahead of Ruth to make arrangements, but she arrived Saturday. I missed them when they called at The Age-Herald, and it was only Wednesday afternoon that I got in touch with them. I found a message at the office stating that the effort to have a man change from an automobile to an airship would be made at 2 o'clock. • • • I had made other arrangements for the afternoon, but when I had a chance to see such an attempt made in my home town and under the management of two of my old flying friends I canceled a date to hurry down to the fair grounds and arrived only a few minutes before everything was ready for the really marvelous stunt which has foiled a number of the daredevils who have essayed it. • • • Charley, as usual, was as busy as a switch engine and making as much noise as a Midway spieler in an effort to get everything in shape and start the teams off for what is going to prove one of the best exhibition stunts to be shown out of doors during the coming season. He didn't know whether it would be done successfully; neither did the pilot, or the man of iron nerve who was going to risk his life in grabbing the trailing ladder. • • • It was a raw afternoon. I believe the field at the fair grounds is the hottest place in summer and the coldest in winter of any spot in the district. Some of the boys who had stood around until they were chilled had gathered up some paper and boards and kindled a little fire to warm their feet. I, along with the others, had cold feet, bu the nervy young fellow who was to be the first passenger to travel by the car-airplane route luckily did not develop "cold feet." • • • All the sport writers and Henry Vance were on hand. I mention Henry because it takes something unusual to get him to circulating on a cold and blustering afternoon. The protographers were lined up- that is, the stationary variety. For some cause the motion picture man, while present, did not have this machine in operation. I believe there was some question as to the chance of getting a picture from the ground and some doubt as to whether an ordinary car could keep close enough to the racer to get a good picture. • • • Several groups were taken, some showing the principal actors in and near the airship, and the racing car, and others in different positions. There was a small gallery of aviation fans on hand to see the try-out. I spied Jim Dent and his wife sitting over in the grand stand. They looked a bit lonely, as they had it all to themselves. I kidded him for not getting a closer view, but he said:" I wanted to see how it would look to the fellow who had paid his good money to see it from the grand stand." • • • It seems that in spite of the request in The Age-Herald for a road three-quarters of a mile long without obstacles, not one was found that was available, although an effort was made to do so. There was always some handicap to every highway visited. Either trees, houses, or telephone or telegraph wires, or traffic made it impracticable to attempt it. • • • But obstacles to overcome are but a challenge to a man like Charley Oliver and his stunt artists. "Got any rivers they say are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? We specialize wholly on the impossible, Doing the things that no man can do." This is their creed and motte, for if anybody else can do it, it queers their game. • • • Charley and his bunch not being able to sit down and wait for good roads. for fear that it they did some other fellow might make good on a bad one, just simply made up their minds that they would use the track. Now, it wasn't by any means suitable for the experiment, as the rains had made it heavy, which means that it would be hard for the racer to get up speed and still harder for the man whose business it was to grab the rope to stand up in the car when it was bumping over rough spots. • • • The far side of the course from the ground stand
