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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0386.PDF
JUNE 2, 1927 and shouted for him to climb up on the control tower. And it was a hearty roar of delight that went up when at last he was seen climbing briskly up the ladder to the first plat- form. As he stood there, his flushed face looking pale, or his pale face looking flushed — we forget which, and the various Press reports are so uncertain on this point!—and smiling all over, the crowd cheered and cheered again, calling " Speech." Then he was handed a megaphone and Commander Perrin having called for order, he made the following speech to the crowd :—" I just want to say that this is worse than I had at Le Bourget. . . . What could I say better ? " At this the crowd cheered again, and sang, " For he's a Jolly Good Fellow," but nobody seemed inclined to depart, and the boyish looking figure in flying kit stood looking proudly on, all smiles. Eventually Commander Perrin appealed to the crowd— " Now you have seen Capt. Lindbergh," he said, " we shall be glad if you will all go home, because we want to get him out, and we can't do that while you remain here." But still the crowd cheered and hung on, while Commander Perrin cried, " Be Sportsmen, this poor fellow wants to have some tea ! Haven't you got any homes ? " The only reply was the " Frothblowers' Anthem." Then Lindbergh himself took a hand. He told them that the American Ambassador wanted him to ask them to make way for his car. The crowd cheered, and made way for the car, which came " alongside " with the help of the police. Lindbergh then proceeded to climb down from the tower, but at a sudden rush on the part of the crowd he hesitated hall-way down, and smilingly said : " Say, I'm not coming down just yet awhile ! " Several such attempts were made before a way was at last cleared and he was bundled into the car—in which Sir Samuel Hoare, Lady Maud Hoare and the American Ambassador were already seated—and, little by little and bit by bit, was driven out of the aerodrome to the Embassy. In the meanwhile " The Spirit of St. Louis " had been wheeled to a safe place in one of the new hangars on the far side of the aerodrome. For hours after Lindbergh had departed large crowds hung about—some having more joy flips—while the rest launched forth on a long, slow, tedious attempt to get home. All the roads for miles round were blocked with traffic for hours, while public service vehicles and trains were hard at work conveying masses of people to various points until quite late in the evening. At Brussels.— After a round of entertainments at Paris, Capt. Lindbergh left Le Bourget for Brussels on Saturday, escorted by some half-a-dozen French machines. Before leaving Paris he made a wide circle over the city and dropped a message at the Place de la Concorde, thanking the people of Paris for their kindness to him. He arrived in Brussels at 3 p.m., escorted into the aerodrome by a Belgian air squadron, and was leceived by M. Jasper, Prime Minister, and General Tilkens. Large crowds gathered on the aero- drome to greet him, and a strong force of military, with fixed bayonets, were in attendance to maintain order. Later in the afternoon Capt. Lindbergh was received by the King and Queen of the Belgians, and was decorated by the King with the Cross of the Order of Leopold. He then attended a reception at the Aero Club, and in the evening was the guest of honour at a banquet at the American Club. On Sunday morning the King and Queen visited the aero- drome, and Capt. Lindbergh showed them his Ryan mono- plane. At noon he was received by M. Max, the Burgomaster, and then lunched privately at the American Embassy. While on his way to London in the afternoon, Capt. Lind- bergh dropped flowers from his machine as he flew over the Waereghem Cemetery, where there are the graves of American soldiers. In London.— Since his arrival in London, Capt. Lindbergh has been spending a very busy time. On Monday morning he paid an early visit to Croydon to inspect his machine, and later was the guest of honour at a private luncheon given at the Embassy by the American Ambassador. At a dinner in the evening given by the Association of American Correspondents, a special course was provided for Capt. Lindbergh, consisting of five sandwiches and a half- gallon jar filled with water ! Tuesday's programme was as follows : In the early hours of the morning he went to Croydon and, escorted by two Service machines, flew " The Spirit of St. Louis " to Gosport where it is to be dismantled for shipment to America. He then piloted one of the Service machines, a Hawker " Wood- cock " (Bristol " Jupiter ") back to Croydon, rushed back to the Embassy to change prior to going to No. 10, Downing Street, where he was received by Mr. Baldwin. After this he went to Buckingham Palace and was presented to the King and Queen. His Majesty asked many questions about the great flight, and then bestowed upon Lindbergh the Air Force Cross. As the airman was leaving the Palace, little Princess Elizabeth waved her hand to him, whereupon Lindbergh went up, shook hands and patted her cheek ! He then drove to York House where he was received by the Prince of Wales. Of course, during these dashes from place to place, he had to dodge large crowds waiting to catch a glimpse of him. Then came the Air Council Luncheon at Claridge's, at which Sir Samuel Hoare presided, and many representatives of the Air Council, Air Ministry, etc., were present. After this luncheon Lindbergh proceeded to the House of Commons, as guest of Lord and Lady Astor, where he was received by the Speaker. He spent a short time listening to a debate and then had tea on the Terrace, after which he paid a short visit to the House of Lords. In the evening he attended the banquet given in his honour by the Royal Aero Club, Royal Aeronautical Society, the Air League, and the S.B.A.C., a report of which follows these notes. Following the banquet Lindbergh continued his "endurance" record and proceeded to the May Fair Hotel, where the Anglo-Swedish Society were holding a dinner. On the next lap he went to the Derby Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, in company with Lord Lonsdale. Here he met with a rousing reception, and after saying a few words he was, at the request of Lord Lonsdale, allowed to mingle with the dancers more or less unmolested. At 4 a.m. he went— to bed. Capt. Lindbergh's last " big noise " in this country included a visit to the Derby on Wednesday, followed by a banquet given by the American Society in London, the American Chamber of Commerce, and the American Club. Today (Thursday) he is scheduled to fly from Croydon to Paris, piloting a Service machine loaned for the occasion. He will stay in Paris until Saturday, when he will fly to Cherbourg, where he will embark on the U.S. destroyer lireck, which will take him home to New York—then, more fireworks ! Hems.—The Spanish Government has decided to confer on Capt. Lindbergh the Plus Ultra Medal, struck to celebrate Comandante Franco's flight to Buenos Aires. The Linen Merchants' Association at Belfast have asked Capt. Lindbergh to accept the gift of some Irish linen handkerchiefs, for his own use, and table linen for his mother. BRITISH AVIATION HONOURS LINDBERGH THE hero of the hour, Captain Charles Lindbergh, Air Force Cross, Legion of Honour, was the guest of the Royal Aero Club, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Air League of the British Empire and the Society of British Aircraft Construc- tors, at the Savoy Hotel on Tuesday last. It was a most brilliant assembly that gathered to give an enthusiastic welcome to the young hero, and it seemed to include everyone in the English aeronautical world. In the chair was Lord Thomson, Chairman of the Royal Aero Club. In his opening speech he said that unlike Byron, who woke up one morning to find himself famous, Captain Lindbergh kept awake for 61 hours to make himself famous. What appealed to him so much in this wonderful exploit was the human touch, and the personality of Captain Lindbergh. He was a man in every sense of the word, only twenty-five years of age, and a modest young man—which, after all, was something of a miracle. He had been exposed to the blast of adulation, praise, and publicity to such an extent that had hardly been equalled in this country or elsewhere, and it had come upon him suddenly. But he would say that if they could get inside the mind of Captain Lindbergh there they would find a man who, apart from all personal considerations, was devoting his life to aviation, in the progress and advance- ment of which he was more deeply interested than in any other thing in the world. In honouring him they did them- selves great honour. Sir Philip Sassoon said that the Paris-New York flight was a notable triumph for American aviation, which nobody 348
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