DOOLITTLE TO FLY ACROSS ANDES MOUNTAINS WITH CRUTCHES ON HIS PLANE
Antofagasta, Chile (JFK+50) On August 19, 1926, Lt. James H. Doolittle* landed here on a flight from Santiago to La Paz, Bolivia.
The Lt., flying a small Curtiss one-seater, will cross the Andes Mountains, "which rise to an altitude of 15,000 feet.
Because he has an injured leg, Doolittle carries crutches in the plane "for use when he lands."
JFK+50 NOTE
Jimmy Doolittle is best known for leading a raid on Japan with 16 B-25 bombers off the USS Hornet during WWII. He retired as a Lt. General in 1985.
*James Harold Doolittle (1896-1993) was born in Alameda, California & graduated University of California Berkely 1922, & MIT, Dr. of Aeronautics 1925. JHD served in the US Army Air Corps & US Air Force, WWI & WWII.
SOURCE
"U.S. Flyer Takes Crutches in Plane On Andes Flight," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., August 19, 1926, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
