Evening star., 1924-08-03
BY LIEUT.. II. J. BROWN. JR.,
Chairman, World Flight Committee.

| Chairman, World Flight Committee
With new motored airplanes and
feeling fit after we'll earned rest
at BrouGh. England, the round-the-
world flyers are off on the flight
across the Atlantic For days the
world has eagerly awaited news OF
their departure. The continued sue
cess of the expedition in surmounting &
| obstacles has given to aviation en-
thusiasts an optimism which fore
sees the early completion of the
hazardous flight from England to
| the United States.
| The flight left Brough, England,
on the Humber, at 1890 on the morn
! ing of July 80 and succeeded in reach
ing kirkwall in the Orknay Islands.
a distance of $50 miles, at 4:30 O'Clock
in the afternoon. The flight was un-
/ eventful, except that Lieut.. Lowell
Smith experienced some difficulty with
his motor prior to taking off.
| At Kirk wall the flight is once more
away from the frequented paths of
! civilization, and the flyers will again
have to rely upon their own resources
to keep themselves and their air
planes always equal to any emerg
ency which they may be called upon
to face.
| . Cruiser Standing BY.
The cruiser Richmond Of the United
States Navy is standing by to receive
| weather reports from the other YES
sells of the Navy which are spaced
along the route from Kirkwall to
Hfn Hornafiord, Iceland, a distance
| of 535 miles. The flyers waited two
days impatiently for the fog to lift
| the flight after leaving the Orkney
! Islands would fly to the Farce Islands
! midway between the OrkneyS and Ice
land. but after Lieut. Crumrine. the
advance officer, had visited them it
was decided to fly direct to Iceland
| The weather is notoriously bad in the
vicinity of these almost barren
| islands, and often when fair weather
prevails elsewhere they will be en-
veloped in fog. The advent of the
| beginning Of aviation history in this
country, and it is particularly fitting
| that Americans, the countrymen OF
the inventor of the airplane. shall be
of transportation into this land of the
! Far North.
Anticipating the difficulties which
| might be experienced in flying
| through Iceland, and Greenland, the
plans for the placing of supplies OF
the round -the-world fight route pro-
vide that because of the infrequent
| facilities for transportation new mo-
tors, new pontoons and mainly air
| plane spares and parts would be
| available at all points where the
| flight would stop in passing through
l q nd 4 Ion
Flight Very Dangerous.
The flight from Hofn Hornafiord
| to Heykjavik, the capital of Iceland
| may easily be considered one Of the
| most difficult which the American
airmen will experience on the entire
of Iceland are prevalent, and are
liable to roll in from the sea with lit
tie warning, completely obscuring
| everything on the ground. During
the season the flight will be passing
| along this coast the weather should
any other time during the year, and
with the system Of weather warnings
| which has been perfected by the
| advance officer with the help of the
| Danish government, the fight should
! experience no difficulty in covering
the 339 miles between these points.
| From Reykjavik the route lays
across the Danish Straits to Ang-
| magsalik. Greenland, 500 miles to the
westward. Recent advices from the
| Danish government indicate that the
| ice conditions in these waters are
worse this season than they have
been for many years. A great many
| large icebergs have been sighted be-
tween Iceland and Greenland. The
belt off the east coast of Greenland,
varying in width from 10 to 100
miles. from year to year, Is reported
as being over 100 miles this year
These conditions are apt to hamper
which will be patrolling the line OF
the fight between Reykjavik and
Angmagsalik.
| The Danish government setamer
Gertrud Rask, with world flight sup
plies aboard and carrying Lieut.. l.
D. Schulze, the advance officer, for
Greeland, is pushing her way through
the ice fields to Angina gsalik to be
| there IN time to receive the fliers
when they have crossed the Danish
Straits.
Place Hard to Reach.
Angmassalik is the most inaccessi!
BILE place on the entire route. It is
the northernmost settlement on the
| east coast of Greenland. 1t has q
population of about 400 Esquimauz
and the Danish governor. This set
tlement is generally visited only once
a year by a Danish government YES
| sci, which brings supplies and the
Danish Governor General of Green
land, who inspects all the settlements
yearly.
The world flyers had originally
planned to reach Angmagsalik about
August 20. but this year which prom
ises an early freeze makes It neces'
sary that the expedition leave there
before August Is, because new tot
will begin forming at that time II
the harbor. This condition wiz bt
very dangerous to the landing ant
taking OF OF tho world cruisers anC
| If possible must be avoided.
If the direct course from Angmag.
salik to Ivigtut, on the west coast o
Greenland could be followed, ther.
will be ahead Of the flyers only abou
500 miles but with immense ioe cap.
of the interior the east coast lin
must instead be followed, a part o.
$40 miles lays ahead past Cape Fare
we'll. the southern extremity O.
Greenland. A swing northwestwart
brings them to Ivigtut-
| When Iyigtut on Arsuk Fiord hai
been reached. the flight will be at
L - tAtx