June 23rd
June 23rd
Daily Flight Information:
The World Flight will remain in Rangoon until Lt. Smith has recovered from dysentery and the wing of "New Orleans" is repaired.
World Flight to Stay in Rangoon
for a Few More Days
Daily Report
by Lt. L. P. Arnold, "Chicago", Mechanic
As our itinerary was changed a bit we put more fuel aboard the planes & now have sufficient for nine hours & hope to be able to miss Akyab & go to Chittagong. Nelson's plane will be finished tomorrow & Lowell [Smith, Commander] went for an auto ride this afternoon -- so Wednesday [June 25] should see us on our way.
The bungalow here is a delightful place -- built high up in the air on stilts where it catches all of the breeze as well as missing the snakes & most of the insects. Four Indian servants take care of the place -- quick, silent and efficient, I would like to have a couple at home.
In the afternoon we went for a swim -- a swim here is a pleasure. The pool is connected to the sea by a valve so that the water is free of sharks, debris, etc. One of the servants comes along as an attendant, & sits on the bank mixing cool "gin swizzles" for the tired and thirsty. I think the Americans miss a lot in life in not knowing how to play -- they are in too much of a hurry & neglect details.
The Douglas World Cruiser "New Orleans", damaged in a collision with a cargo sampan, should be fixed sometime tomorrow. Lt. Smith is recovering from a bout of dysentery and should be ready to fly in about two days.
The World Flight is planning to bypass a refueling stop in Akyab, Burma and fly directly to Chittagong, Burma.
The third division of the World Flight will terminate in Calcutta, India sometime in the next week. Once the fliers reach Calcutta, they'll be nearing the half way point in the World Flight.
The fourth division of the flight marks the beginning of the over land portion of the journey. Pontoons, installed since leaving Seattle, Washington, will be replaced with conventional landing gears. The pontoons won't be needed again until the World Flight leaves the northernmost tip of Great Britain for the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.