Evening Star Newspaper, June 22, 1930, Page 87

IINGTON, D. C, JUNE {22, 1930. 13 =y ) e — irplanes—and Lived to Tell the Story Fifty Crack- hor Says 1 hat fire, but Here Is His Tricks 7 recking. - s BB GRACE, tars in Hair-raising Wrecks You Saw in Other Thrilling Air Movies. >s in @ Tom Mix picture, “The Forest op a cliff, his motor failed before he e ship over the edge, and, having no ick Grace as a “German” in another <ROM 1,000 feet I looked down and saw the red flag waving from the observation tower. It was the signal that told me they were ready. Simultaneously, the two “Germans” started diving on my tail, and the Spad and I went groundward. It was then that I threw away my goggles. You can't risk glass splinters in your eyes, you know, if it can be avoided. I could sce the German and British trenches below, and between them the hazardous no man’s land. The troupe, spectators and camera- men I located, but to my dismay, I found that we had so cleverly camouflaged the balsa posts that I could not tell the 25-foot sector from any other part of the entanglements. No won- der camouflage fooled war flyers! My hand reached for the throttle. A finger toyed lightly near the ignition switch. Nearer and nearer. Each successive second brought me to the spot where the nose should plunge earth- ward. Leaning over the cockpit I Ilocated the cameras and picked my bed as nearly as pos- sible. Only 400 feet from the posts now, and I lowered the nose for the impact. Glancing at the air speed indication made me realize that this was to be a real crash. for the ship was making 95. Two hundred feet! Now! A fraction of a sec- ond too late would land me in the midst of Portrait sketch of Dick Grace, by Paul Kroesen. those anxious people. With a.kick on the left rudder and a push down and to the right on the stick, I hit . . . struts, wings, ribs! Pieces of broken propeller, the crunching of posts! The nose dug in—the right wing left the plane. Then as it went over on jts back I ducked forward in the pit just as an object plunged through the seat directly above my lowered head. It was over now, and I got out. All was wreckage. Perhaps my greatest surprise was that I had hit directly into real posts, ripping 14 of them from the ground—and I did not laugh as I saw that one of them had pierced the cockpit just 11 inches back of my head. That was a perfect shot. As the ship lay #t was 17 feet from the nearest camera. I always have a sense of relief and satise faction when a crash is perfect. Then I am re- lieved of a great responsibility. lANY people mistake the sensations which accompany me as those last few seconds of control are passing. I am often asked about the fear or thrill which I experience. Perhaps I'm dumb. Maybe I am insensitive to the fine-drawn emotions which crowd into the lives of other people, but still, I see nothing to fear. My only fear is that I shall not give satisfaction or that my 100 per cent record will be marred. Certainly, I can’'t stop to think about that while I'm doing the crash. Before or afterward, yes. I live the crash, plan carefully .what I am about to do. Afterward, when I see it on the screen, I do get a reaction, but during the crash, I am al- ways busy, too busy for any thrill, any emotion. There's a spot to hit and cameras to miss. The spark to cut and the throttle to manipulate. A camera on the ship to start, and controls to work. These are but a few of the details which keep me from any use of imagination—if I have any Now, since talking pictures, it is necessary to crash with regard to microphones as well as cameras—just one more added worry for me. Directors are getting more and more particu- lar about effects in crashes. Af first, if I came down and hit the spot, they were satisfied, but now I am told to turn on my back—or that if I do turn over, the shot cannot be used. IN a scene for “Lilac Time"” I placed an anvil weighing 180 pounds in the extreme aft section of the fuselage to keep the tail from arising to a point past the perpendicular. Fortunately, the trick worked. The nose hit and the undecarriage caved into the motor mount. The engine pushed back into the gas tank. When the ship was in practically a ver- tical position, it did a complete barrel roll; then, the force not being completely spent, the entire broken ship and myself flew backwards for about 75 feet. It's a peculiar sensation to sit in a ship and have the feeling that it's in reverse. Such & position is an unnatural A crack-up for “The Air Circus.” Note Grace's position in the cockpit, even as the wheels and 1wings gave way in a splintering crash. Everything went fine until I was just about to dive the ship home. Then, and then ouly, did I find that I had assumcd the wrong uncle of approach. The cameras could get the shot, but due to parellel rows of trees, I had b.en deceived Too late to change my mind. It had to be a crash. Everything was excitement below, People were running, automobiles started ta move. If I waited another second I'd fall into the crowd. Within a fraction of a second, I'd made up my mind. Regardless of the value of the shot, I pulled the stick back in my stomach and kicked the rudder all the way to the le’t. It was a spin-in position, but I could do no'hing else. As it was, I would hit dangerously near E'mex Dyer, the famous Akeley cameraman. I knew Elmer. He'd stick by his guns, no matter. I think if he had an idea that I was going to crush him and his camera, he'd still stay on. He was there as I pulled the ship up. As started to spin I could see him almost below, I knew I'd miss him, but did he? a sudden, the plane crashed, nose first, into the sunbaked ground. The motor moved through the gas tank, causing gas and oil to spray over everything. One of the wings caught and the thing careened dizzily to the left. Then it settled backward, and tearing wheels and undercarriage away, lay broken and useless, not 25 feet from the daring cameraman. As I crawled from the pit, he came over to me. He'd gotten a great shot of a ship spin« ning to the ground. He extended his hund, “Thanks,” he said, smilingly, “for a while 2 didn’'t think you'd miss me.” Cameramen are like that. They take exti>me chances to get a single effect. The Perry broth« ers, Paul and Harry; Norman DeFoe, Geo:gq Eastman and Buddy Williams, are but a fewt of that clan, who are noted for their intrepidity, But regardless of the success of that cre<h as far as I am concerned, it remained for me 0 da it again. It wasn't quite what the picture re« quired. » The right termination of a crash de::nds upon innumerable little details, all insigniticant in themselves, but all important at some s'age How Dick Grace prepared his ship for a crash in “Young Eagles” (1) Motor struts sawed part way through, so the motor would be driven back into the ship on crashing. (2) An extra strong end strut was installed. (3) Leading edge and front spar of lower wings weakened so they would splinter readily. (4) Tires partly deflated so wheels would strike hard and break. (5) Instru- ments were put on the side, the instrument board padded. (6-7) The ship struck nose first, breaking prop and driving motor back into gas tank, then slid back- ward (8), breaking tail skid and rear controls. one for an airplane, and the pilot, of course, g°ts a peculiar physical reaction. In 34 crashes, I say I have had 100 per cent suceYss. However, there was one, the thirty-third, which I had to do over because the picture, “Young Eagles,” required that I come dewn, slip in and land on my back be- fore the microphones and cameras. of the thrill. Proper policing of the area and placement of cameras means much. The cameramen are dependable, once they are ses, but an excited troupe is always a worry. Some= times people get hysterical, sometimes women cry—and once the crowd rushed what was left Cmtivlw on Twenly-first Page £