The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-03-21
Amundsen and Hammer Will Employ New
Type of Plane in Flight Over Polar Regions
The Whale Has Flying
Radius of 1900 Miles
Landing Necessary,
BY HAAKON H. HAMMER

written Especially for NElA Service
and Indianapolis Tines
Copyright. 1924, by NEA Service
A gasoline station at the North Pole
or close by-win be established for
refueling our plane.
The Whale-With which we hope
to make mans first fight over the
pole-has flying radius of I 800 miles
The total distance from Spitzbergen
to Alaska is about 1900 miles. a land
ing in the vicinity of the pole will
therefore be necessary. So we expect
to fly to it first, establish a gas supply
depot, and then go back for the final
dash.
Whether we will find water or ice
in these ATTITUDES we cannot foretell.
If there is only ice our landings Will
| be somewhat dangerous as we are sure
to find very rough spots, even on an
apparently smooth landing surface.
and the strain on the hull will be
very great
Pan Reversible Propeller
We are therefore now experiment.
ing with a reversible propeller which
if satisfactory will be a valuable asset
as it will enable the plane to come to
a quick stop after the first contact
with the landing surface.
From our experiences in Spitzbergen
and Alaska last summer it became
quite clear that the airplanes to be
used for a trans-polar flight must be
constructed so that they can land and
take off equally well from water, ice
or snow. The use of either pontoons
or skis as landing gear having been
deemed impracticable, we decided that
a flying boat with special reinforced
hull and ski equipment for ice land
ings would be the best possible con-
struction.
We learned that the Dornier Manu-
featuring Company of Friedrichsha-
fen, Germany. had already made ex-
periments in this connection, and we
found that Dornier was willing. and
able. to build the kind of hull which
would suit our purpose.
Flying Radius insufficient
It was first our intention to use
three or four of the Dornier Dolphin
type of planes. each equipped with
careful calculations showed that the
flying radius of these planes would
only under the very best conditions be
about 700 miles which was entirely in
adequate.
The order was therefore changed to
two Dornier Whales, each equipped
with two Rolls Royce $50 h. p. en-
gines.
These engines are not. as in most
twin motor planes, placed in the
wings, but are placed in tandem be-
tween the wings Immediately above
the hull. This placing of the, motors
has the great advantage of enabling
the plane TO continue its flight even
should one OF the motors give out.
Both planes will be equipped with
wireless receiving and sending sets
with an estimated reach of from 400
TO 500 miles.
Fog, which is quite frequent in the
Arctic regions during the summer.
win be no obstacle to the navigations
of the planes as they can always as
cend above the fog and find the sun.
Use Smoke Bombs
But it will be extremely difficult
for plane to find it's way back to
the base in foggy weather. The
mother ship will therefore be equip
ped with a balloon captive" and
smoke bombs which viii be sent up
one 1856 h. q. B. NJ w. engine But
above the fog to guide the pilot back
TO his base.
Apart from the usual aeronautcal
equipment very few instruments Will
be carried along. For the navigation
in the Arctic and the determination of
position only the combination of
the sun, the sextant and the chro-
nometer can be relied upon, and
nothing else will be used
Amundsen is indebted to the United
States Navy for having placed at his
disposal the double sextant which is
used in the Navy for aerial naviga-
ton.
Copyright, 1924, by NEA Service)