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20 HRS. 40 MIN.

member any but a feeling of interest on this occasion. The noise of the motor seemed very loud-I think it seems so to most people on their first flight.

The plane rose quickly over some nearby oil derricks which are part of the flora in Southern California. I was surprised to be able to see the sea after a few moments of climbing. At 2,000 feet the pilot idled the motor and called out the altitude for me. The sensation of speed is of course absent, and I had no idea of the duration of the hop. When descent was made I know the field looked totally unfamiliar. I could not have picked it out from among the hundreds of little squares into which populated areas are divided. One of the senses which must be developed in flying is an acuteness in recognizing characteristics of the terrain, a sense seldom possessed by a novice.

Lessons in flying cost twice as much in 1920 as they do now. Five hundred dollars was the

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