The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Famed Pilot Tells of
Great Risks In
volved, Including
Stunts Like Chang
ing Planes in Flight,
and How Disaster
May Be Avoided

bottle with hose attached to his mask but
also parachute folded tightly against his
back. Once down the ground or ice his
first move will be to fling himself fiat to the
ground or catch hold of some projection To
prevent himself from being carried away by
peak will work quickly. A man cannot live
long under such conditions, even with oxygen
and the warmest of warm clothes His first
step will be toward some of the padded bags
containing oxygen tanks, additional clothing
and other supplies which have been thrown
near the spot upon which he first landed.
These bags would be brightly colored in vari-
hues easily distinguishable. The oxygen
supply in the small bottle he carried with
him would last only for ten fifteen minutes
and he must get bigger bottle to attach to
the tube projecting from his mask. If in
struments for scientific observations are re-
qured they may also be contained in these
bags. Unlike his theoretical rival, the
climber the man on the mountain top can in
advance decide upon taking with him any
thing he wishes. These bags, If they con-
tanned anything of great weight, would, of
course, be planted on previous flight made
only by the pilot. The different colors would
enable the adventurer to tell the difference
between one containing oxygen and one with
food anything else.
The parachute strapped to the back Of the
man on the mountain is needed not only for
the ordinary possibilities of trouble in the
air. but also in the event that the landing In
the great wind is made at a place where
steep slopes are menacingly near. If he did
go over it is certain that the terrific wind
would blow him clear Of the mountain.
Some first hand experience convinces me
that a man who wants to leave mountain
top in the teeth of bowling gale may do so
without trouble. In order to test out para
chute intended using in the Gorden Bennett
race / went up in a plane at Garden City
with the silk life saver strapped securely TO
my back We were making seventy-fve
miles an hour as I crawled out on the wing
to make the jump from the tip in order to
avoid the tail In that wind speed ii was
possible to move, although the pressure on
the body was decidedly heavy. AT the tip
looking backward, gave the ring jerk
had packed that parachute myself and |
wasn't certain had done it right, so l was
highly interested in the result.
The big silk bundle shot out in tumble
of cords and material until it reached the
end of the cords attaching it to me- Then
suddenly the parachute opened wide In
stantly / was jerked off the wing. For
few seconds thereafter gravity had absolutely
nothing to do with my movements. was
pulled horizontally backwards for hundreds
of feet before ! lost a foot of altitude. Then
my weight pulled down under the big silk
umbrella and. oscillating considerably, the
Chute and started for earth. We got there.
That experienced convinced me that in free
moving air man has little to fear in leav-
ing such abrupt decivity as a mountain
peak.
How the Successful Aviator
Will Plant His Flag on Summit
Returning to our man on Everest, he must.
after getting his big oxygen bottle. Climb
to the peak if he is not already there, plant
his flag or make his observations and get
ready to leave before his circulation quits.
His biggest difficulty is going to be to Keep
his fingers warm. Even with the warmest
of fur lined buckskin gloves they NAV be-
come like clubs on the way down the ladder.
In the plane of course electric gloves wiki
a warming current from a storage battery
or generator are used in this sort Of work.
While the observer is on the mountain
the man in the plane will be busy taking
photographs of him from the air. For this
special airplane camera attached to some
part of the plane and operated by trigger
in the pilots cockpit is used This type,
like a fixed machine gun, is sighted by
heading the plane at the object TO be photo
graphed or shot and then letting go the
trigger
Fifteen minutes or half an hour after the
man has landed he will be ready to leave.
He has two alternatives. II the wind Is still
favorable he may crouch behind some rock
or ice bank while the pilot manpuvres direct
ly over him and gradually settles down 40
the rope ladder twenty thirty feet long.
bangles before him. Then up that ladder.
with his oxygen tank and parachute he must
climb TO safety in the plane. II this is not
feasible he still has a method of leaving the
mountain. That is the parachute. As the
one he carries on his back is an emergency
chute Of quick descending pattern, 1t viii
be advisable TO use another. which is, OF
course in one of the bags previously thrown
overheard The bigger the chute the faster
and further he will be carried from the peak
or the edge OF the precipice from which he
makes his little leap In this case he isn't
at all sure where he Is going to land but he
is headed for thicker air and solid earth.
As he glides downward into the almost
unknown territory around the mountain the
plane will follow in order to observe the spot
where he lands. The maps or plans made
of the country beforehand will be valuable
here. for the pilot will probably be unable
I, land within miles Of the chute jumper
Once landed the big difficulties are over
for the man out I'm the wilderness Is hooked
up with his camp by the plane which can
bring him maps compass. food firearms, or
anything else he requires.
The conquest Of Mount Everest by air
plane may seem weirdly imaginative. but
am convinced that II the peak is ever
reached II will be in this or some similar
way. The human heart has certain limita-
tions very easily reached in high attitudes.
and IL man cannot get to Mount Everests
high point by the most improved method Of
transportation he cannot get there by the