POST AND SUN AVIATOR FLIES AGAINST WIND Pittsburgh Post-Sun Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Friday, August 11, 1914, Collection of Mike Kane, Aug. 23, 2005 Breeze in Schenley park So Strong Airman Heth At- tempts No Fancy stunts. RACES MOTORCYCLE TODAY       It requires rare courage to ascend in a fragile air craft in the teeth of a breeze blowing a 30-mile clip. With all the advance that the science of aviation has made in the past four or five years it has not conquered the winds, so it was a little wonder that Aviator Eugene Heth's exhibition of air flights yesterday afternoon caused the crowd gathered at the aerodrome in Schenley park to burst into round after round of applause when the airman concluded his flight and gently descended to the ground,. It was an illustration of nerve and cool-headedness which the big crowd at The Post and Sun exhibition is not likely to forget.       The flight of Aviator Heth, set for 3:30 o'clock, was delayed some time in the hope that the breeze would moderate. Anxious as were the spectators to witness the maneuvers in the sky they were not ready to be onlookers at tragedy. Indeed, the representative of the Louis J. Berger Aviation Company, which is giving the exhibitions under the auspices of The Post and Sun was urged by many persons attending the exhibition to defer the flight until today, or at least postpone it until the wind had completely subsided. WILLING TO TAKE CHANCE       Mr. Heth, however, announced that he was willing to make the flight in the face of what seemed to hundreds to be certain misfortune. It was finally agreed to wait a short time and hope for a lessening of the breeze. In the meantime, Howard J. Bell, in his Stutz racer, entertained the big crowd by making an exhibitions run of 10 miles on the Schenley oval.       The track was a trifle heavy, but Bell completed the 20 laps of the course - 10 miles - in 12 minutes and 10 seconds. His best half mile was done in 38 seconds. The exhibition run created considerable excitement among the hundreds who lined the fences about the oval.       Mr. Bell is racer for the Forbes Motor Company. His work shows the wonderful speed of the Stutz on the straightaway and the daring of the driver on the curves. DECISION TO FLY       It was 4:30 o'clock when the patient throng saw Heth and his assistants apparently dismantling the aeroplane. Next, they heard the whirring noise of the propeller as Heth examined the machinery. Mr. Berger announced to the spectators that while Heth would make a flight, weather conditions were such as to render it inadvisable to attempt any fancy flying, bomb-throwing or racing with Bell and his Stutz machine.       Mr. Heth prepared for an exhibition of plain flying. A few minutes later the aeroplane was gracefully ascending. At an altitude of some 800 feet, it was noted by observers on the ground that Mr. Heth had wonderful control of this machine and that he was apparently out of the zone of the steadily increasing breeze.       The aircraft sailed with an evenness astonishing to the folks on the ground, whose coats were flapping in the winds and whose hats were sailing away every few minutes. There were no dangerous tremors and no indication that the aviator was not master of his craft and unafraid while aloft. WENT TO PARK ENTRANCE.      Four times Heth circled the oval, widening the area of his flight and passing over the entrance to Schenley Park, thus enabling thousands who did not go to the oval to get a glimpse of the aviator and his craft. Mr. Heth hereafter will duplicate this flying in the park entrance during The Post and Sun exhibition meet.       The aviator was in air about 20 minutes. Then, with a graceful maneuver, he descended in the center of the oval and was greeted with a round of applause. Hundreds rushed into the oval in the hope of shaking the airman by the hand and getting a close view of his machine.       The time for the exhibitions during the remainder of the series has been fixed at 3 o'clock, half an hour earlier than heretofore. The race this afternoon will be a five-mile contest between the airship and A. G. Schmidt, Pittsburgh's fastest motorcycle racer on an Indian racing machine. Six bombs will also be thrown at a moving target mounted on a White truck.

 

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