Marguerite Jensen, the wife of Martin, anxiously asked the crew of "Woolaroc" if they had sighted "Aloha", which had departed just ahead of "Woolaroc"; they replied they had not, adding to her anxiety. Jensen flew much of the way at a low altitude of above sea level, helping fuel economy but making it impossible to sight the stars for navigation. Three times during the flight, Jensen attempted to climb to , but went into a tailspin each time; once Jensen inadvertently commanded a shallow dive and skimmed the water with the landing gear, prompting him to rise to a safer altitude of .