Evening star., 1926-05-30
SOUTH POLE FLIGHT
HARDER, SAYS BYRD
Would Be Much Greater Task
for Plane and Man Than
Recent Journey.
By Cable 20 The Star.

By Cable TO The Star.
LONDON, May 29.-Although he is
not ready to announce definite plans
for further explorations. Comdr. Byrd
today discussed his hopes for taking
a trip to the South Pole. The trip
there involves twice as great a risk
as his successful trip to the North
Pole.
"a man at the South Pole Is 1000
miles from anywhere" he said today,
while at the North Pole ! was only
$50 miles from my flying base. The
trip to the South Pole will have to
be. in all probability. a nonstop flight.
almost as long as q journey across
the Atlantic from Ireland to New.
foundland. It will mean 1000 miles
there and back, A stout test even in
the present state Of aviation.
Rigorous climatic conditions will
have to be faced. There will be the
constant risk Of things freezing.
Billiards Out Of Nowhere.
billiards. out Of nowhere and snow
obscuring the sun may deprive one OF
the use Of the sun compass, the only
guide, while a snowstorm below the
machine, blotting out the ground.
might cause the plane to crash to the
earth.
There are two other complications
at the South Pole. There is a conti-
nent of land there with mountains as
high as 10000 feet, so that in the
first place. one might fly into a peak
il one were not careful. In the second
place, violent eddies Of wind may be
expected, whirling about the peaks
and out of the valley, whereas. at the
North Pole the wind has a fiat ex-
panse to blow over.
But there will be one advantage
at the Antarctic that we did not have
in the Arctic. The North Pole is
covered by the ocean with slabs Of ice
on which alighting and taking of, is
very difficult, and dangerous for an
airplane. The South Pole, being on
land, is a snow.covered spot and
have found by experience that skis
attached beneath the machine will
permit the landing and taking off on
snow. So it is quite on the cards that
I would be able to alight on the spot
which Scott reached only after
months of weary crawling. Giant
skis will have to be attached to the
plane. Those had at the North Pole
were too small.
May Not Go for Year.
1.-THE best jumping-off place for
the South Pole is the great ice bar
rier from which Scott set out.
probably will start from there. 1t Is
difficult to say exactly when I will
20. This year Is out Of the ques-
ton and If go at any time at will
be next year. Spring is impossible,
for though at that time the weather
Is best at the North Pole, it is worst
at the South. We should be stepped
in eternal night for months If we
went then. Autumn Is more likely,
but 1t all depends on getting the
necessary support. such as made this
North Polar flight both possible and
successful. AS for me, am all
for It,"
The young commander hopes also
to do further exploring off Cape Co
lumbia and Etah, where he Is certain
land exists. 1t is probable that he
and Bennett will take this trip be-
fore the one to the South Pole.
Comdr. Byrd was the guest at lunch
con today Of Ambassador Houghton.
He met q score Of distinguished
British army and naval officers and
their wives. Tonight he was the din
ner guest of Capt. Watts, the Ameri-
can naval attache.
Floyd Bennett, who piloted the BYRD
plane over the Pole, today asked the
correspondent to clarity an ambig-
uous statement published regarding
his advice at the time leak In the
oil line was discovered. eight and a
half hours from the Pole. Bennett
at first wished to land and try to re-
pair it, but this Byrd did not want to
do. Landing to repair that damaged
motor would take an hour, and Ben
nett suggested then that they reach
the Pole first and take chances of
coming back with two engines. Ben
nett thought that the article Indicated
that he favored returning when the
leak was discovered, which was not
at all the case. Bennett hopes to go
again to the North Pole and land
ON the ice there.
(CopVright. 1923. by the New York Times
and stnLouis Post-Disnatch.!