The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-20
A|RPLANESBOON
To STATION
IN ARCTIC
Isolated Swedish Camps Are
Brought Into Contact
Without Outside World.
By ADMIRAL, MARK KERR.


Noted British Authority on Aviation.
Written for International News Service)
LONDON, Feb. 20.-Up in the
White North, inside the Arctic cir
Gle, an air service has been regular
~ maintained for the last two years.
On the Lulealf, in the north of
Sweden, and some thirty miles in
side the Arctic circle, lies the Por-
jus power station. This station OBJ
tains it's power from lakes in the
mountains at Suorva, about seventy
miles northwest from Porjus.
A little community of about 400
souls have grown up at Suorva,
and for several years they were al
most completely shut off from the
world, except for occasional com.
munication by boats in the sum-
mer and by sleighs in the winter.
Start Air Service.
Two years ago it was decided to
link up Suorva and Porjus by an
air service in order to give them
facilities of communication, which
would bring them in constant touch
with the outer world.
For this purpose experimental
flights began at the end of August,
1920, with a "Fairey'' machine, pro-
PEELED by a 35O-horsepower Rolls
Royce engine. The experiment was
successful, but on account of ex-
tremely bad weather conditions in
the mountains it was evident that
a smaller and lighter plane would
be better.
To this end an "Avro," with a
130-horsepower Clerget engine, was
acquired, and the service was in
stalled. This machine has proved
a great success. 1t is fitted with
floats in the summer and with
slxids in the winter, and though the
cold is most severe at times and
the weather extremely changeabie,
this service had hardly ever been
interrupted and no serious acct
dent has ever taken place.
The average number of return
Journeys per month has been nearly
twenty five, and during the win
ter months there are only three or
four hours Of daylight.
COlU TNO
The cold has rarely interfered
with flying, and it has been found
possible to fly. with the Their
mometer at 40 degrees below Zero.
Thus air-cooled engines are more
practical than water-cooled.
The worst month last year was
February, when the regularity Of
flight diagram shows 81 per cent.
In January it was So per cent,
March and April, IS per cent; May,
SO per cent; June and July, 100
per cent.
In August the curve began to
fall, and in September it had
reached SO per cent. with a slight
rise again in October.
Along this route are met quite a
number of whirlwinds, which draw
I'D snow or water into columns of
about twenty-five yards high. and
sometimes as many as ten of these
spirals have been seen at one time.
Wind Is Changeful.
On most of the route. owing to
the high mountains, only two
winds are found-northwest and
southeast. But these have been
known to change places in an
hour, and a pilot starting from
Suorva, with a northwest wind
blowing at the rate of twenty-five
| miles per hour, has finished in a
southeast wind of forty-four miles
per hour, and all in the space of
sixty minutes.
Maintenance of regular service
| has had an extraordinary psyche
| logical effect on the inhabitants.
knowledge that, in case of need,
| they can obtain help, medical at
| tendance, provisions and stores, as
well as newspapers and mails, has
| had a great effect