Word: hillig
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Within one week after they flew the Atlantic to Germany and Denmark in the Bellanca Liberty, the names of Pilot Holger Hoiriis and Passenger Otto Hillig could scarcely be found in U. S. newspapers. Their momentary flame of fame had been blown out by the propeller blast of the glorious Winnie Mae (see col. i). Here & there little two-paragraph despatches told of their jaunt from Copenhagen back into Germany, where Mr. Hillig became king for a day to the 300 inhabitants of his native Steinbrucken, whence he emigrated to the U. S. 40 years ago. There he shook hands...
Next day Hoiriis & Hillig flew back to Denmark for a reception at the pilot's birthplace, Braband. But the important city of Aarhus only three miles away, capital of the county, disdained to take official notice of their visit. The flight, said Burgomaster Jacob Jensen, was "haphazard luck." Had the flyers not named Copenhagen as their destination? And had they not floundered about over Spain and France before getting their bearings? So what if they had flown across the Atlantic Ocean safely? Many another has done the same. That is nothing nowadays...
...Liberty's first destination was Copenhagen, thence to Mr. Hillig's Steinbrucken. But the weather, none too good during the Winnie Mae's crossing, had improved not at all in the next 13 hours. Expanses of fog were relieved only by rain; cloud banks were broken only by a northeast gale. For 17 hours the flyers saw no water. Early in the morning Pilot Hoiriis spiralled the plane down through a rift in the clouds-and there was land! It must be England, dead on the path of Copenhagen. Any moment they expected to sight the English...
...late afternoon when Pilot Hoiriis, barely able to hold the controls after 32 hours in the air, sighted an airport and landed-Krefeld, in Germany near the Holland frontier. He tumbled out of the plane and dozed where he lay while Hillig bustled to a telephone, called Copenhagen and learned of the great crowds that waited to lionize them at the airport. They must fly on! Valiantly Hoiriis pulled himself together and they did fly, but only as far as Bremen. Half-conscious Hoiriis put the plane down, fell asleep without a word and was carried to a hangar...
Next day came their moment of triumph. Some 50,000 persons were at Kastrup Airport, among them Hoiriis's mother, also among them two of Hillig's friends from Liberty, N. Y. Wreaths were hung about their necks, there were parades, medals, a great banquet at the Town Hall. King Christian X made Pilot Hoiriis a Knight of the ancient Order of Danebroge. But if Hoiriis felt half as proud as Otto Hillig, he failed to show...