ON AIRPLANE WING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 13 October 1925, Page 9

ON AIRPLANE WING.

‘ BOY STEALS A RIDE. A boy caught hold of a rising airplane at Las v'egas, Nevada, clambered upon one of lower wings, and there rode the 300 miles 'between the Nevada city and Los Angeles, arriving there none the worse' for liis thrilling experience, except that the wind had whipped his ishirt off his back, and the deathdefying ride made him, to use his own words, “A little dizzy.” Major C. C. Moseley, commander of the California National Guard Air Service, and Sergeant Wood were returning from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, and in taking off after a rest at Las Vegas encountered some sort of a heavy drag on one wing, which caused, the ’plane to take the air in a great circm lar sweep. “All at once,” Major Moseley said, “Sergeant Wood began pounding me on the back and yelling and pointing out to the wing end. As I live, there was a boy’s head sticking up over the end of the wing! We were high in the air. I never had such a. sliodk. 1 was afraid to laud with him thete, and motioned to him to' come on top of the wing. He climbed up and rode sticking to the wingstays during the threehour ride.” The boy is Jack Richman, 17 years old, and small for his age. He was “hoboing” liis way across the country from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. “My,buddy and me,” said Jack, “got as far as Las Vegas. We got into there on a passenger train, but they was SO’ many bulls around we had to get out. I came out to the air field and found out about' the plane coming here.

“I thought I’d just take that. I’d rode every other way to Las Vegas. When they started the machine I ran under the’ end of the wing and stuck on. I got pretty dizzy and kinda sick, but I liung; on. Then I got on to the wing and kept on stickin’ on and got here. That’s about all tlieer was to it.”