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Page 9. Nearing Biloxi, Mississippi, I?ran into lirht rains and overcast, and as it was now completely dark I decided that if the poor weather conditions continued it looked improbable that I would go on to Galveston. I reached the New Orleans Airport at 6:29 P.M. and the weather-was atill threatening. There wns a surface wind of 25 miles per hour which mad? Lake Pontchartrain too roup-h to land on after dark with safety. I decided/that, since I had accomplished whet I had set out to do and that-ainoe my family and friends were waiting for me at New Orleans, I would land in the'Industrial Canal about -i - v* " ? V ' . i ? ' * one mile Southwest of*the New Orleans Airport. Although the oanal is very narrow and there was a 25-mile cross wind, I was thoroughly familiar with the conditions here so I swung around to tb*South and mode a long, low approaoh to compensate for the opqif^wind and get in position to "feel? for the water, it being totally dark and 1 wa3 unable to see the surface ? of the water* I landed without any difficulty and taxied up on the . ? V ';!-<? *'beachf where my fyi?n4#'V>.w?re waiting for me. r^{" ? Jihad the r&ttadittlseals on the gas tanks and baropraph * ,* . , ? V ? -v , - ? > ' 7;' i ?fir'.V-'.*- ?'* ' examined aad the' stopped and removed from the airplane. i>he most pleftf?nt part of the flight was the welcome v ^ * * ?* V' f 1 r*oeived when I landed, and the only time I was frightened &t v any^time was in being Interviewed over Station WWL at the end ? ]v ?of the -flight. V? * ? ^
Chapman, Henry B. Chapman-020