Word: planing
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...switch in Soviet policy from building machines, and yet more machines at all cost, to training men fitted to operate them. Not until last week did the world realize in most dramatic fashion in what dire need Soviet Russia is for capable, trained personnel. The Maxim Gorki, largest land-plane in the world, crashed in the worst airplane disaster in history (see p. 56). Russian designed, Russian built, the plane was technically perfect, might never have fallen but for the childish desire of a stunt pilot named Blagin to do tricks in dangerous proximity to the great plane...
Equally hysterical, a Russian news photographer in a third plane that was flying nearby nearly throttled the pilot of his plane before being knocked, half conscious, back into his seat...
...Detroit devout Stanislaus Felix Hausner, Polish born aviator, who once spent eight days clinging to the tail of a wrecked plane in mid-Atlantic, crashed to his death while stunting over a Pilsudski memorial service, but of all the memorial services throughout the world, the most dramatic incident occurred in the town of Rowne on the Polish-Ukraine frontier. While bells tolled and villagers hurried to the church for a Requiem Mass, a shot was suddenly fired from the Russian side of the frontier. Polish guards tumbled out, rifles in hand. Up rode a long-coated Soviet cavalryman begging permission...
Pride of all the Russias on its completion year ago was the all-metal super-airliner Maxim Gorki. World's largest land-plane, it weighed 42 tons, carried 63 persons, had eight engines, 7,000 h. p., a speed of 150 m. p. h. It cost 5,000,000 rubles (currently $4,350,000) furnished by popular subscription, took two years to build, contained a complete photographic studio, photo-engraving plant, electrically-driven rotary printing press (capacity: 8,000 newspapers per hour), broadcasting studio, sound cinema equipment, café-lounge, electric power plant, 16 telephones, observation saloon, business office...
Soaring over Moscow's Red Square one day last week, Maxim Gorki seemed a mighty symbol of Soviet power & progress. A small training plane, gnatlike by comparison, flew alongside it. Spellbound moujiks cheered as giant and gnat disappeared in the hazy distance. Short while later a motorist drove up, babbled excitedly about how he had seen Maxim Gorki crash. Hardly had the news leaked out when instantly Soviet censorship clamped down. Not until ten hours later did the world know that the largest land-plane ever built had really met with disaster...