The "Honeymoon Couple"

(Author's Note: Whilst' composing appendix Pioneer Flights to the Far East there was a dearth of information about this flight. I enlisted the aid of Ian Johnson and other friends with similar Sherlock Holmes investigative ability. They managed to find a few references but at publishing time there was insufficient data to flesh-out a story. In frustration, I settled for the briefest possible reference. However, in my own library, completely unsuspected, was a comprehensive report of that flight - with photographs galore. Now, using the June 1932 issue of The National Geographic Magazine as my guide I can finish a story that is printed in Airport of the Nine Dragons as five lines of mainly useless information. C.)

Charles and Gladys Days' flying adventure began with a conversation soon after his retirement from the New Standard Aircraft Corporation, of New Jersey. With their new found freedom they talked about flying around the United States. Gladys thought around the world seemed a grander idea, adding - "if they could get a suitable plane". Charles Healy, his wife's usual form of address, remarked why bother looking for a plane and said "Let's build it". And so began an eight-months, 16,000 mile adventure, in a homemade plane by a couple erroneously styled, in some papers, as the Honey-moon Couple.

They built their bi-plane for about $4,500 USD. Their nick-named Errant had a max. speed of 105 mph, cruised at 85 mph and landed at 30 mph. An outstanding feature was the side-by-side seating arrangement. They costed their trip as landing fees from 30 to 75 cents, with night storage a similar amount. Gasoline costs ranged from 35 to 40 cents but they expected this would double when they reached Asia. On the 8th May 1931 the American Shipper began the ten day voyage to England.

The Errant was reassembled at Heston Airport where they took off on the first leg of their adventure on 28th May 1931. As they approached Paris a severe thunderstorm ahead decided they land at Abbeville. When the storm cleared, they went on to Le Bourget, Paris, where they spent a week. Their next stop was flight-planned for Brussels but heavy fog and a dwindling fuel supply forced their landing in a German insane asylum's potato patch. The local authorities thinking they were French were unpleasant until they learned they were Americans and then couldn't do enough to make them welcome even escorting them to Cleves. The next day, after a hairy take-off from the potato patch, they had a scare when the cylindrical aluminium gas tank sprang a leak and drenched the pilots with gasoline. A backfire from the engine might have been fatal. They were on tender-hooks until they landed at Cologne. There mechanics refused to weld the damaged tank and replaced it with a substitute. They determined the leak was the result of the hairy potato patch landing and takeoff combined with normal engine vibration.

The morning of 9th July, found the Errant slipping through the 10,000 feet passes of the Taurus Mountains towards Aleppo. The heat became oppressive as they flew down to Damascus towards Jerusalem. They found the aerial view of Jerusalem far outweighed the stifling, dirty condition of the Holy City. They left Jerusalem overloaded with emergency rations and extra water. Their concerns of negotiating the white furnace like sand of the Syrian Desert was eased by merely following the Imperial Airways markers, numbers painted on rocks, guiding their plane across the 560 miles of desert to Baghdad.

However, as the daylight dwindled they decided a landing was prudent and spent the night at the emergency field of Rutbah Wells where three English personnel of Imperial Airways became their hosts. The next day they went on to Baghdad where their trip nearly came to a premature end. To escape the 120 degree heat of their room they had their beds made up on their hotel's roof. About three o'clock in the morning an English voice asked their forgiveness and then told them the hotel was burning down. They gained the street to join others already milling around all garbed in impeccable night clothing .Replacing their lost gear they continued their flight making landings at Basra, Bushire, Lingeh, Jask and Chahbar (Persia). There an overzealous customs official demanded $4 USD for bringing him out after working hours. Glad to leave Persia the Errant took them on to Gwadar (Baluchistan), where their plane was refueled with gasoline brought out by lumbering camels.

They arrived at Karachi on 26th July. From there they flew on to Jodhpur, and Agra. The night of 3rd August brought menacing cloudy skies. In the days ahead they fought their way through monsoonal rain that was beyond their experience. Dodging rain squalls of intense ferocity they landed at Allahabad, Gaya and Calcutta. At Calcutta they faced an enforced lay-over of nearly a month- the monsoon had taken control of the land with visibility a mere memory - of more concern they both had contracted dengue fever.

A gradual improvement in their condition also brought a determination to continue. The morning of 3rd September showed the rain had temporarily abated and in improved visibility the Days' took the Errant back to its environment. They landed at Akyab and after refueling departed for Rangoon. Their track paralleled the Burma coastline with the forbidding Arakan Yoma (hills) off to port. Shortly after passing the emergency landing field of Sandoway the engine seized. The once blessed tailwind now proved a hindrance by impeding their ground speed and it became apparent they could not make Sandoway . A small beach lay ahead Charles Healy did a screaming 180 turn to get Errant into wind and made a beautiful touchdown on its golden sand. An inspection showed the engine was in a bad way and of greater concern was their isolated predicament. About an hour later several natives burst through the undergrowth and advanced on them. In no position to resist they raised their hands. Their giant leader, later nicknamed Hercules, gestured that the plane must be moved to escape the encroaching tide. Then Hercules led them through the almost impenetrable jungle until they reached the house of a missionary named Bruce.

The next morning Charles Healy and Bruce (as interpreter) followed Hercules and his men to retrieve the damaged engine. Several days later the party returned carrying the engine on bamboo poles. Charles Healy spend a week repairing it and returned it to the plane - this time by native dugout. Towards noon of 17th September, Gladys Day, waiting at the Sandoway emergency filed, heard the sound of Errant's engine. Charles Healy had made the difficult take-off from the sandy beach look easy. After many celebrating banquets the Day's left the hospitality of Sandoway's wonderful people and arrived in Rangoon on 19th September.

They continued their flight landing at Moulmein then Bangkok where more permanent repairs were made to the engine. There they received disturbing news that the war between China and Japan had escalated with Japanese troops capturing most of the towns along the South Manchuria Railway. Prospects for their flight through to Shanghai did not look promising. Nevertheless, they pushed on reaching Hanoi on 27th September, then Fort Bayard (Taiping) and arrived in Hong Kong on the 5th October to find the Colony under martial law. There the unflappable A.J.R. Moss, Superintendent of Kai Tak Airfield, greeted them with warmth and dignity. They stayed in Hong Kong until 9th October when they departed for Swatow where only direct intervention of the commanding officer allowed them to continue to Amoy and Foochow. After landing at Foochow the rising tide inundated the field and stopped just lapping their plane's wheels. When the tide receded the muddy surface of the field prevented Errant reaching flying speed - the takeoff ended with a broken tail skid. After a delay finding the tools to fix the skid the Day's arrived in Shanghai where the forbidding sky seemed to reflect the ominous gloom that hung over Asia and the Pacific - the date was 14th October 1931.

Although their flight had successfully ended the problems that faced them in shipping the Errant out of the country remained a hurdle. They learned that the Chinese Government in Nanking must issue a release that in turn needed the signature of the Commissioner of Customs. On the 17th October when they arrived at Hungjao Airfield to crate their plane's wings they were denied entry. The pending arrival of General Chiang Kai-shek had closed the field. Finally when they got to the Errant they found a gaping hole in its fuselage. Apparently, a Chinese student pilot in the excitement of the General's arrival had taxied into their stationary plane.

The remainder of their trip was something of an anti-climax. After berthing in Japan their ship continued to San Francisco. There they reassembled their plane and on 27th November they began the last phase of their aerial adventure. Finally, the skyscrapers of Manhattan emerged from the clearing fog. The Newark Airport hove into view. They circled the field and glided in for Errant's last landing. The sturdy home-made plane had earned its peaceful retirement - that day was 20th December 1931.