Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 58: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

552 the star that set Glenn Kerry’s heart thumping was a brilliant light almost dead ahead that kept flashing and _ receding, flashing and receding. From his charts he believed this to be the powerful Makapuu Point Light on the extreme eastern end of the island of Oahu. He throttled down his motor again. * Shall we stop at this next station, dear?” he asked flippantly. “ Or continue on to Shanghai?” A laug& from Betty was the answer. As the plane flew along, the aviators could discern lights to the left of them, which Glenn believed to be the coast line of Molokai. He had dropped his compass course now and was speeding on toward that powerful light, skimming on and on, around Leahi, or Diamond Head, and then veered in over the land. He was without landing gear, but he had made plans for that. His speed had ranged from sixty-five to hundred and thirty miles an hour, and now, with his lightened gas load, he even exceeded this latter figure at times, slow- ing down, however, as he passed over a hotel with a huge illuminated arrow on its roof, indicating the direction of Wheeler Field, Honolulu. Following the direction of the arrow he flew over and circled about the field, where flares were alight. He passed over the field, circled about it again, and as he throttled his motor and swung low he heard a loud cheer go up from below, and the sound of countless automobile horns. Romantic Hawali was preparing to give a rousing welcome to the first plane to reach its capital in a non- stop flight from New York. The American flag was fluttering proud- ly from a tall pole at the corner of the field, its brilliant coloring picked out in the glow of a spotlight directed full up- on it. Glenn darted low over the hangars, swung up again like a swallow, swooped about again and flew back to the beach and over the ocean. The first streaks of dawn had come. Below could be seen the soft green of cane fields and the vivid yel- low of salt grass and the fringe of coconut trees, and back of the city the Koolau ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. range broke majestically through the opal- escent mist. Years before, during his rigorous training to become a pilot in the air force of the United States army, Glenn had _ been trained to land within a certain radius with his motor shut off. He was now selecting a desirable spot inside the reef where the breakers creamed and then went curling and bounding on toward the golden beach. His plane was equipped with the modern dump-valve that would enable him to dump his entire remaining load of fuel within one minute. Many planes are so equipped, so that in over-Water flights, if forced down without mishap, the air in the tanks will keep the plane afloat for a considerable period, barring turbulent seas. He dumped his gasoline, and then throt- tled his motor. ** 'We’ve won, dear!” he called back to Betty. : ‘We've won, dear!” came the girl’s voice like an echo. ‘ Dad will be so proud!” Down like a great seabird swooped the Sheldon plane, and skimmed the water lightly. A few moments later it was on the crescent beach, lined with people, and with a military guard about it. A short time before, the idea of a New York to Honolulu flight had been a flight of fancy—a page from one of the books of Jules Verne. Now it was an accomplished fact. An American plane had flown from America’s greatest city to America’s great- est island paradise. Later in the day, in clean, dry clothiag, very sleepy, but very happy, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Kerry sat down to an elaborate din- ner of tropical fruits and viands in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Air corps officers, notables, naval officers, newspaper men thronged the place. Outside a larger crowd of whites, Hawaiians and Orientals set up a shout of welcome. A radiogram was handed to Glenn Kerry. It proved to be from General Worth, the owner of a chain of American super-hotels, and stated that the fifty thou- sand dollar prize was his as the first suc- . cessful flyer to make the hop from New York to Honolulu. (E(0) DOOKS (EO)