Evening star., 1926-06-02

arctic flying The temperature over
the unknown regions should then have
commenced 10 increase, thus the cold
did not threaten the more sensitive
parts of the engines ON the other
side in May the temperature is still
50 low that the thick polar fog that
commences when the Air is heated by
the sun comes near the ice and for
week lays over the. polar basin. max
ING Ill visibility impossible. has not
vet begun.
During the expedition in 1925 we
decided that the earlier in May we
started the better. That the start
Ia ST year took place aS late as May II
was due To circumstances il is not
necessary To mention here, but as a
result of experiences from our staying
in the ice that endured more than
three weeks. when planning this
years expedition, We always were
eager to start as early as rossihle.>
Earlier start Would Have Been Better.
My readers will remember that the
Norge started from Kings Bay on
MAY H. Despite The fact that this
year wn started ten days earlier than
in 49, we had. as il will he under
stood from q later section of this
narrative. very serious troubles dur
ing The flight from Spitzbergen to
Alaska. because on the last part of
the flight we flew in typical arctic
Summer weather. with fog and pro-
portionatelv high temperature. If it
had heen possible to start only few
days before. it might have been that
the flight would have taken place un
der better weather conditions also on
the American side of he North Pole
But because "f various circum
stances in Kings Bay we had to let
the Norge stay in GatSchina. out side
Leningrad whore it had arrived on
April Is. longer than we originally had
thought which will he mentioned
later on.
BESIDES the important meteorolog
ical dissertations made on the eXami
nation flight last year. we discovered
also things Of technical Importance. So
we had forever to give up the plan
Of going from SpitZbergen to Alaska
in q flying machine.
AS | have told. our intention last
year was only to explore and examine
flying conditions on the European side
of the North Pole. Rut in spite of
various circumstances that compelled
,Is TO give up the transpolar fight in
1925. found it rathei difficult tn do
so. And later on ! heard that even
the Norwegian Aero club thought il
possible that we should try tho trans.
polar flight with the flying boats.
In fact. when last Spring we lay
ready to start in Kings Bay. one day
/ asked our second in command.
Lieut.. Riser Larsen. who knew more
about flying than | did myself. if it
was not possible at once to settle the
direction for Point Barrow. He. how
ever, answered NO"
.Airship Is Decided On.
But my question and his answer
had as result that already before
the start last year we. formulated the
plan we carried out this year and de
cded us to use an airship to make tho
transpolar flight. And experiments
made last year proved Riiser Larsen
was right when he gave his answer
and that with greater security and
greater success we could realize the
ira nspoIar flight in an airShip than in
a flying machine. The security of the
latter principally depends on it's
motor. In case the motor stops the
plane, has t" 90 down till the motor
IS reraired. and to go down the
aviator must have n Ia ndin- pla "n