Coverage in the New York Times

Coverage in the New York Times:

• New York Times; July 30, 1930; page 43; “Boy Pilot Seeks Record. Jersey City Student Set to Fly to Coast and Back in August. Westfield, New Jersey; July 29, 1930. Eddie Schneider, 18-year-old Jersey City high school graduate, will try next month to better the national junior transcontinental airplane speed records of the late Frank Goldsborough. He plans to fly from the Westfield Airport to San Francisco and back. The youth has 275 air-hours to his credit, of which thirty-eight hours were of night flying. The record attempt will be made in a four-piece Cessna monoplanes powered with a Warner Scarab motor, a far faster ship that that used by Goldsborough.”

• New York Times; August 12, 1930; page 4; “Seeks Title on Coast Hop. Jersey Boy, 18, Plans Start Tomorrow, Attempting Speed Record. Westfield, New Jersey; August 11, 1930. Weather permitting, Eddie Schneider, 18-year-old, Jersey City high school graduate, will take off from the Westfield Airport here at daybreak Wednesday in an effort to break the junior transcontinental speed record set two months ago by the late Frank Goldsborough. Schneider who decided today to make the attempt this week, will pilot a Cessna monoplane, powered with a 110-horse power motor, bought for him by a syndicate headed by his father, Emil A. Schneider. Only adverse weather conditions will delay the start of the flight, the youth said. He is considered an expert flier, having 275 flying hours to his credit. He plans to fly to Columbus, Ohio, and from there to St. Louis and spend the first night in Wichita, Kansas. He also plans to stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico.”

• New York Times; August 15, 1930; page 5; “Schneider Halted by Fog. Flier was Forced down for the Second Time in Pennsylvania. ...”

• New York Times; August 16, 1930; page 28; “Schneider Gains St. Louis. St. Louis, August 15, 1930 (Associated Press) Eddie Schneider who is attempting to set a new junior transcontinental air record, landed at Lambert - St. Louis Field at 7:04 P. M. , Central Standard Time, today from Columbus, Ohio. Schneider reported that the trip was uneventful. He left there at 3:21 P. M. Schneider's flying time since leaving Westfield, New Jersey has been 8 hours and 38 minutes, The youthful airman said he would spend the night here, probably leaving for Wichita, Kansas, tomorrow morning.”

• New York Times; August 17, 1930; page 23; “Schneider Flies to Wichita. (Associated Press) Eddie Schneider, 18-year-old Westfield, New Jersey [sic] youth, attempting to establish a new junior transcontinental flight record, arrived here tonight at 7:45. He had left St. Louis at 1:25 p.m. ...” Note: Schneider was from Jersey City, New Jersey, he left from the airport in Westfield, New Jersey.
  

• New York Times; August 18, 1930; page 17; “Schneider in New Mexico. Downed at Anton Chico, he will fly to Albuquerque this morning. Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 17, 1930 (Associated Press) Eddie Schneider, 18-year-old flier seeking to establish a junior transcontinental flight record, was forced to land near Anton Chico, 100 miles east of here, late today, en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Albuquerque. The young flier telephoned airport officials here he would remain overnight at Anton Chico and take off at daybreak tomorrow for Albuquerque. He is expected here about 6:30 am (Mountain Standard Time).”

• New York Times; August 19, 1930; page 3; “Schneider reaches goal. Lands at Los Angeles in record junior cross-country flying time. Los Angeles, August 18, 1930 (Associated Press) Eddie Schneider, 18, of Jersey City, brought his plane to a landing at the municipal airport at 7:13 o'clock, Pacific Standard Time (11:13 o'clock, New York Time), tonight to finish his transcontinental flight and establish a new junior record of 29 hours 41 minutes, flying time.”

• New York Times; August 22, 1930; page 13; “Schneider pushes plane. Lands at Albuquerque, New Mexico under eight hours From Los Angeles. ...”

• New York Times; August 23, 1930; page 28; “Schneider plans flying here today. ...”

• New York Times; August 24, 1930; page 2; “Schneider reaches Ohio. ...”

• New York Times; August 25, 1930; page 5; “Schneider Makes Record Flight East; Pilot, 18, Cuts Goldsborough's Junior Coast-To-Coast Mark By 1 1/2 Hours. Lowers Round-Trip Time Jersey City High School Boy Arrives From Los Angeles In 27 Hours 19 Minutes, Dodging Storm On Way. Roosevelt Field, Long Island; August 24, 1930. In his trim little Cessna monoplane Edward Schneider, 18-year-old high school student, roared across the field here this afternoon, descended in a series of tight spiral turns and touched his wheels at 4:03 to establish new junior transcontinental flying records. Despite two setbacks, one over Kansas when his compass refused to function, and another when a storm overtook him over the treacherous Alleghenies on today's non-stop leg from Columbus, Ohio, the youthful pilot set his flying time between Los Angeles and Roosevelt Field at 27 hours and 36 minutes the former mark of 29 hours 55 minutes set by Frank Goldsborough, who was killed recently in a crash in the White Mountains. Schneider was greeted by his father, Emil A. Schneider, of 114 Carleton Avenue, Jersey City, others of the family and 2,500 enthusiastic Sunday visitors to the field here. He started from Los Angeles last Thursday and made three overnight stops en route. On landing, he said that the storm was on its way here, and stood by while mechanics hurried his plane into a hanger. He said that he was too hungry to talk about his trip. Then when his hunger had been partially appeased by a sandwich the young pilot related his experiences on the last leg of his flight. Weather reports had not been too good when he was ready to take off from Columbus. He counted on an even chance to ‘get through,’ however, and pushed on with the knowledge that he was on the air mail route, with its emergency landing fields and better sectional airports at frequent intervals in case he were forced down. As he neared Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he had to leave the course about thirty miles to the south, he said, to avoid a severe storm which was then over Pittsburgh. As he came up over the Alleghenies, approaching Middletown from the west, a strong headwind was encountered which brought with it s strata of low-hanging clouds. He could not see the ground for a while, he said, as he flew above the clouds rather than hitting one of the mountains. With no landmarks to check by and no radio guidance, he headed for New York by compass and got his next land check near Stroudsbourg, Pennsylvania. Keeping the mail route under him, again he headed for New Brunswick and, finding visibility fair beneath him, he continued on over the flats of New Jersey, the Hudson and East rivers and the outlying sections of New York City. He maintained high attitude so he would be able to wheel and run from thickening weather which was approaching. A few moments after he landed here the skies darkened and mechanics and others on the field rushed their planes into hangers or took precautions to prevent them from being damaged in the approaching storm Schneider and his family left the field almost immediately and motored to their home in Jersey City. In addition to lowering Goldsborough’s record for the trip from Los Angeles to New York Schneider also broke the junior records for the east-west trip last week and the record for the round trip journey concluded today. He left Westfield, New Jersey, last week and, with several overnight stops en route, landed at Los Angeles in 29 hours and 55 minutes of flying time, 4 hours and 22 minutes faster than Goldsborough’s time over the same route. His flying time for the round trip was therefore 57 hours and 14 minutes, against his predecessor’s record of 62 hours and 58 minutes.”

• New York Times; August 26, 1930; “Hague Greets Boy Flier. Schneider Delivers Letter From Los Angeles Mayor at Exercises. Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City, who returned yesterday to the City Hall there after a brief vacation, officially welcomed another newly returned Jersey City celebrity shortly before noon. He was Edward Schneider, holder of the junior transcontinental flight record. Young Schneider went to the City Hall to deliver a message to Mayor Hague from John C. Porter, Mayor of Los Angeles. Mayor Porter's letter said: "Your letter of August 12 was delivered to me today by Junior Aviator Edward Schneider. My congratulations to you for the enterprise shown by one of your citizens in making this record-breaking flight. It is, indeed, a pleasure to extend to your city greetings from the city of Los Angeles." About 2,000 persons were present to greet the young aviator and his father as they ascended the City Hall steps.”

• New York Times; September 15, 1930; “Tour Fliers Fight Storm To Winnipeg; Haldeman Set Back Despite Game Flight Imperiled By Crippled Engine. Davis Makes Third Place Livingston Advances To Fifth, While Russell And Zeller In Fords Hold First And Second. Mishap Imperils Haldeman. Standing Of The Contestants. Winnipeg, Manitoba, September 14, 1930. Wind, fog and rain caused some disorder in the orderly procession of the thirty-five planes of the sixth annual National Air Tour, which came from Duluth, Minnisota, across the ...”

• New York Times; September 20, 1930. “Air Tour Speedy In Mountain Hop; Zeller Flies Transport Plane At 175.8-Mile Average On 282-Mile Leg. Halt At Casper, Wyo. Livingston And Davis Hold Lead In Points. Great Falls Offers Apologies On Liquor Seizure. Fliers Get Regrets On Liquor Loss. Casper, Wyoming, September 20. 1930. Over the hardest flying country thus far encountered on their loop around Southwestern Canada and the North-western ...”

• New York Times; September 22, 1930. “Boy pilot delays flight. Repairs postpone attempt to beat transcontinental record. ...” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck attempting to break Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; September 22, 1930. “Robert Buck, 16-year-old Elizabeth, New Jersey aviator, attempting to set a new junior transcontinental flight record, landed his plane here early tonight for an overnight stop.” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck attempting to break Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; September 30, 1930; page 24; “Boy flier reaches Indiana on long hop; Robert Buck starts from Newark, New Jersey in attempt to break junior coast-to-coast record. Delayed by head winds runs out of gasoline and is forced to refuel at Martin's Ferry and Columbus, Ohio. Delayed by refueling. Father and mother see start. Indianapolis, Illinois, September 29, 1930 (Associated Press) Robert Buck, 16-year-old Elizabeth, New Jersey aviator, attempting to set a new junior transcontinental flight record, landed his plane here early tonight for an overnight stop.” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck attempting to break Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; October 03, 1930; page 27; “Buck forced down; stays at Amarillo, Texas; spends second night at Texas city after getting away and then returning. Motor fails in 70 miles youth to start again today for Albuquerque, New Mexico still confident of cross-country record. ...” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck attempting to break Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; October 05, 1930; “Fast Flying Marked Ford Tour. Full-Throttle Speeds for Most of 4,900-Mile Route in Canada and Northwest Gave New Practical Meaning to Reliability Test. Under the new formula, which made speed the most important characteristic of the modern airplane, the National Air Tour ended its 4,900-mile trip at Detroit last week as the most exacting and exhaustive demonstration ever conducted on a fleet of representative commercial and training airplanes. ...”

• New York Times; October 05, 1930; page 22; “Buck in California sets flight record; New Jersey youth 1 hour 8 minutes under Schneider's transcontinental mark. ...” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck breaks Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; October 19, 1930; page 9; “2 claim air records from Pacific here. Miss Ingalls and Robert Buck both complete interrupted transcontinental flights. Two transcontinental pilots, each claiming a record in flying time but each of whom has been on the way from Los Angeles for several days, landed yesterday at airports in the metropolitan district. At Roosevelt Field, Hiss Laura Ingalls of New York who is the holder of the women's ...” Note: Robert Nietzel Buck breaks Eddie Schneider's record.

• New York Times; July 05, 1931; page 12; “15 planes start reliability flight. Leave Detroit on National Air Tour, reach Walkerville, Ontario, and go on to Leroy, New York to cover 6,000 miles after a night's rest, pilots will go on today to Binghamton, New York. End the tour on July 25, 1931. Walkerville, Ontario, July 4, 1931 (Associated Press) Continuing their 6,000-mile flight, the fifteen contesting planes of the 1931 National Air Tour which started their series of flights from Detroit ...”

• New York Times; July 10, 1931; page 11; “Harry Russell leads National Air Tour. Ten of 14 planes arrive in Knoxville, others are down. C.F. Sugg badly injured. Knoxville, Tennessee, July 9, 1931 (Associated Press) Four of the fourteen planes participating in the national air tour failed to arrive here from Huntingdon, West Virginia, today on account of a series of mishaps. ...”

• New York Times; July 18, 1931; page 3; “Reach Fort Worth on Air Tour. ...”

• New York Times; July 26, 1931; page 3; “Russell again wins National Air Tour. He leads on points as fliers sweep back into Detroit from 6,590-mile trip. Ford Company gains trophy. Detroit, Michigan; July 25, 1931. More than 15,000 Detroit aviation enthusiasts saw Harry L. Russell, a pilot for the Ford Motor Company, sweep into the Ford airport today to his second victory in the National Air Tour after having covered 6,590 miles. He won by more than 9,000 points. ...”

• New York Times; June 24, 1934; page N3; “Marriage announced of Gretchen Hahnen. Jersey City Girl Wed to Eddie A. Schneider, Aviator, Here on June 2. Jersey City, New Jersey, June 23, 1934. The marriage on June 2 of Gretchen Hahnen of Jersey City, New Jersey governor of the Women's International Aeronautic Association, and Eddie A. Schneider of Jersey City, who in 1928, at age of 16 was the youngest air pilot to hold a commercial license, was announced today. The couple was married at the New York Municipal Building. Miss Hahnen, daughter of Mrs. Zora M. Hahnen of Des Moines, Iowa, and Mr. Schneider met when Miss Hahnen was organizing the Jersey City Junior Aeronautical Association, of which Mr. Schneider was sponsor. In 1930 Mr. Schneider broke the transcontinental junior speed record by lowering the mark of the late Frank Goldsborough. Mr. Schneider won the Great Lakes Trophy in the Ford national reliability tour in 1930 and in the 1931 tour he won first place for single-motored planes. He was director of the aviation division of the Hoover Business League in 1932. After July 1 the couple will live in Jersey City. Mr. Schneider is the son of Emil A. Schneider of North Arlington.”

• New York Times; May 16, 1935; page 25; “Two In Plane Escape In Newark Bay Crash; Schneider, Ex-Transcontinental Record-Holder, And Student Pilot Rescued By Police. Two aviators escaped with only minor bruises and a thorough wetting last night when their three-seat, open-cockpit biplane developed motor trouble soon after taking off from the Jersey City Airport and fell into Newark Bay 200 feet off Droyer's Point, Jersey City. The men were rescued by police, who went to their aid in a collapsible rowboat kept at the field. ...”

• New York Times; September 22, 1935; page 12; “Robert Buck: Boy pilot delays flight. ...”

• New York Times; September 26, 1935; page 18; “Jersey City to Get WPA Stadium Fund. Mayor Hague Reports Application for $800,000 Approved for Arena at Airport. Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City announced yesterday he had been informed that the Works Progress Administration had approved the city's application for an $800,000 grant to build a municipal sports stadium. ... The Jersey City Airport is now rented at a nominal charge to Eddie Schneider, who gives flying lessons there. ...” Note: Eddie August Schneider loses his airport.

• New York Times; September 30, 1935; page 24; “Robert Buck: Boy flier reaches Indiana on long hop. ...”

• New York Times; November 21, 1936; “4 Americans in Spain to Fly for Madrid. Acosta and Three Mates Reach Valencia to Take Course in Military Aviation. Bert Acosta, one of this country's leading racing pilots, and four other fliers from fields in the Newark district have arrived at Valencia, Spain, where they will go through a hurried course in military flying before taking the air against the Rebels, it was revealed here yesterday. ...”

• New York Times; January 1, 1937; page 17; “Amazed by Acosta, rebel fliers fled. American in sports ship flew into midst of foe thinking they were Russians. With stories of each other's adventures and none about their own, Bert Acosta, Gordon Berry, Eddie Schneider and Frederick Lord returned to Paris this morning from two months' experience in the civil war in Spain. ...”

• New York Times; January 16, 1937; page 3; “Flier says lawyer sent him to Spain. Schneider names New Yorker as giving him ticket to join loyalist army. Promised $1,500 a month, but he was never paid, so he quit, witness declares - tells story to U.S. officials. Eddie Schneider, 25-year-old aviator, who recently returned to the United States after serving a month in the so-called Yankee Squadron with the Spanish Loyalists, said yesterday that a New York lawyer had negotiated with him for his services abroad. Schneider, who began his career as a flier in 1928, appeared at the Federal Building, where he was questioned by John F. Dailey Jr., Chief Assistant United States Attorney. Mr. Dailey, who last Thursday questioned Bert Acosta and Gordon K. Berry, both of whom served in the same squadron, is conducting an investigation to determine if the service of the Yankee Squadron in Spain was a violation of a federal statute. That statute provides: 'Whoever, within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States, enlists or enters himself, or hires or retains another person to enlist or enter himself, or to go beyond the limits or jurisdiction of the United States with intent to be enlisted or entered in the service of any foreign prince, state colony, district or people as a soldier or as a marine, or seaman on board of any vessel of war, letter or marquee, or privateer, shall be fined not more than $1,000 and imprisoned not more than 4 years.' According to Schneider, the lawyer told him that he would be paid $1,500 a month for his services in the air force and would receive a bonus of $1,000 for every Rebel plane he shot down. The lawyer, he said, gave him his steamship ticket. Schneider, in an interview with newspapermen, said that he had quit Spain because the Loyalist Government had not carried out its obligations under a contract signed in Valencia. The only money he received, he said, came from the Spanish Embassy in Paris, which paid his fare back to the United States. Colonel Lewis Landes, attorney for Schneider, interrupted to say on behalf of his client that Schneider had really quit Spain because he wished to comply with President Roosevelt's neutrality program. Schneider said that Major Thomas Lamphier was still abroad flying for the Loyalists. He said that he himself had taken part in bombing raids daily for about three weeks. The bombers, he said were remodeled sport planes, and the bombs were dropped through floor openings.”
  

• New York Times; January 17, 1937; page 30; “Fliers Fully Paid, Spain's Agent Says. Declares Terms Of Contracts Were Met And No Money Is Now Due Them. Denial By Their Lawyer He Asserts Acosta, Schneider And Berry Got Some Funds On Friday, But Not Enough. While there were no developments yesterday in the United States Attorney's investigation of the procurement of Americans for service in Spain, the acting consul general for Spain and the attorney for American aviators who served the Loyalist cause issued conflicting statements regarding the pay they received. ...”

• New York Times; February 6, 1937; page 4; “Lanphier was not in Spain. Major did not fly for loyalist forces as reported. In the late editions of The New York Times of January 16, 1937, and in the early editions of January 17, 1937 there appeared an item concerning the return of Eddie Schneider, aviator, from serving a month in the so-called Yankee Squadron with the Spanish Loyalists and Schneider's appearance at the Federal Building, where he was questioned by John F. Dailey Jr., Chief Assistant United States ...”

• New York Times; December 24, 1940; page 15; “2 die as planes crash at field. Eddie Schneider, who started flying when he was 15 years old and set a junior transcontinental record in 1930 at the age of 18, was killed with a student passenger yesterday when their light training plane was in collision with a Naval Reserve plane, also on a training flight, just west of Floyd Bennett Field. The Naval Reserve plane landed safely at the field but Schneider's plane went into a spin, tore off a wing, and crashed into Deep Creek, a few hundred feet across Flatbush Avenue from the city airport in Brooklyn. Both Schneider and his passenger, George W. Herzog, 37, a contractor living at 535 North Second Street, New Hyde Park, Long Island, were dead when their bodies were pulled from the submerged wreckage. At the Naval Reserve base at Floyd Bennett Field it was said the Navy biplane, a Stearman trainer, had been piloted by Ensign Kenneth A, Kuehner, 25, of Minister, Ohio, with Second Class Seaman Frank Newcomer, of Rochester, Ohio, as a passenger. The right lower wing of the naval plane, the left upper wing and the propeller were damaged. The third accident, in two weeks in which a Naval Reserve plane based at Floyd Bennett Field was involved, it brought the comment from Dock Commissioner John McKenzie that it was the sort of thing to be expected 'where there are training: flights at an airport.' 'That is the point that Mayor La Guardia has been making'. Mr. McKenzie said, 'in his efforts to keep training away from commercial fields.' Police said the witnesses to the accident were agreed that the Naval Reserve plane was crossing above the plane piloted by Schneider, a high-wing Piper Tandem Cub monoplane, as the two approached the field for a landing 600 feet above Deep Creek, Schneider's plane went into a tight spin as the two planes disengaged after colliding, the witnesses said, appeared to straighten out and then plummeted into the water as its left wing tore loose. Many would-be rescuers were on the scene within, a few moments, including police, Coast Guardsmen and fliers from Floyd Bennett Field. The bodies of the two men were pulled quickly from the wreckage and onto a half-submerged barge near which the plane fell, but it appeared both had been killed when the plane hit the water. Joseph Hanley, first assistant district attorney of Kings County, opened an investigation at the scene and a naval board of inquiry, headed by Commander H. R. Bowes, was ordered convened by the Navy Department in Washington. Schneider lived at 32-50 Seventy-third Street, Jackson Heights, Queens. He leaves a widow. Herzog leaves a widow and two children. He had been flying some time, holding a limited commercial pilot's license, but had enrolled for a refresher course with the Archie Baxter Flying Service, Inc., owner of the plane. Schneider was an instructor at the school. The bodies of the two men were taken to Floyd Bennett Field pending funeral arrangements. Schneider first gained public attention as a flier in the Summer of 1930 when he announced plans for an attempt to break the junior transcontinental east-west record of 34 hours 57 minutes set the year before by 15-year-old Frank Goldsborough, who was later killed. Taking off from Westfield, New Jersey, August 14, he landed at Los Angeles four days later with a new elapsed time mark of 29 hours 55 minutes. He then flew the west-east passage in 27 hours 19 minutes to better Goldsborough's time for that flight and also for the round trip. He continued active in aviation, competing in National Air Tours, races, and as an instructor. He went to Spain in 1936 to fly for the Loyalists, but returned the next year without having collected the $1,500-a-month pay that was promised him. He and other American fliers were looked on with suspicion by many of the Loyalists, he said, because they were not Communists. Schneider had a narrow escape from death May 15, 1935, when the engine of his training plane failed and it fell into Newark Bay with him and a student passenger shortly after they had taken off from Jersey City Airport, of which he then was manager. Schneider's father, Emil, a Jersey City banker, financed his son's transcontinental flight after having first opposed his efforts to become a flier. The boy had quit school at 15 and worked as a mechanic at Roosevelt Field, Mineola, Long Island, and at the Westfield airport to secure money for flying lessons. He was the youngest licensed flier in the country when he received a limited commercial license shortly after his eighteenth birthday in 1929.”

Source: New York Times, New York City, New York; 1930-1940