McCall Has Close Call In Take-Off

McCall Has Close Call In Take-Off
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Biplane Carrying 100 Quarts of Nitro-Glycerine Barely Misses Snow Drift
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LANDS HERE ON SECOND FLIGHT

   Capt. Fred McCall and the torpedo man of the Eastern Torpedo company had a close call when taking off from Shelby Saturday at noon. The biplane, carrying 100 quarts of nitro-glycerine, barely missed an immense snowdrift piled high on the landing field north of the town. Onlookers said it appeared to be a matter of inches and had the plane plowed into the drift disaster might have befallen the craft. Skilful handling of the plane by Capt. McCall probably saved the situation. The plane made a landing at the Lethbrldge airport at 1 o'clock en route to Calgary. This will be the last flight for "soup" and the 200 quarts will now be taken from Calgary to the Turner Valley by truck.

LANDS FIRST CARGO
   Capt. Fred McCall of the Great Western Airways, Calgary, did not land in Lethbridge on his northward flight Friday with explosives for the Turner Valley oil field. Although reporters and cameramen gathered at the north Lethbridge landing field for the arrival of the captain with his cargo of "soup" from Shelby not a sign of the big biplane was seen. It is believed he angled northwest missing Lethbridge entirely.
   He landed safely at the Calgary airport at 6.31 p.m. although his gasoline tank was empty when he reached his destination. The flight was really uneventful, the flying time from Shelby being three and a half hours. It is probable that Capt. McCall will make two trips to Shelby today, Saturday, to convey additional stores of nitro-glycerine for the bombardment of the Calmont well Sunday or Monday.

Buck Winds
   Bucking heavy headwinds all the way, the run from Shelby to Calgary was made in about three and one-half hours, about an hour more than normal conditions would warrant. This uphill work caused the lack of fuel which might have been fatal if a forced landing had resulted.

Bumps Twice
   Sensing the danger, an air of expectancy hung over the Calgary landing field, where about 50 spectators and flying men had gathered. Capt. McCall was at the controls. He bumped twice when the plane hit the ground and a sigh of relief went up when nothing out of the ordinary happened.
   One hundred quarts of nitro-glycerine and a dozen sticks of dynamite in charge of Shooter Charles B. Stalnaker, of the Independent-Eastern Torpedo Company, formed the cargo. It was the first shipment of 300 quarts to be used to "shoot" the Calmont well.

The Lethbridge Herald (Lethbridge, Alberta) - Saturday, February 23, 1929