VANISHED INTO THIN AIR

n February 7, 1926, William Ulbrich sailed into New York Harbor on the ocean liner . A skilled young pilot from Denmark, he dreamed of setting aviation records and becoming a United States citizen. Ulbrich was no stranger to New York, having visited the city several times before. On one of his trips he befriended Russell Simpson, who was in charge of Roosevelt Field on Long Island, and secured a job as a flying instructor at the Roosevelt Flying School. There Ulbrich trained such early-aviation legends as Betty Huyler Gillies, Eddie Schneider and Viola Gentry.