Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
FLIGHT AT EQUATOR
MAPPED BY A|RMEN
Experts Here Considering
Possibilities in Hops
GirdIing Globe.

w
naming goal Of gigantic proportions
for the airplane to conquer, would en-
| tail nonstop hops of about 5000
| 1000 and 5000 miles and several jumps
| of about 1000 miles. according tC
| aeronautical experts here who have
considered the possibilities of such q
| project in the near future.
Aside from the great distances in
| volved, which, according to trans
atlantic and pacific flights Of the past
! few months, are probably possible OF
| negotiation, airmen are more con
cerned about the regions they would
| have to fly over. In short, they would
! be thrown up against "uncivilization'
at it's worst and weather conditions OF
a variety about which little is known
| in relation to flying.
Preparations for the undertaking
should it be authorized either by this
or any other government, would
eclipse the arrangements made for the
Army world flight. the Pan.Americar
flight, the Lindbergh. Chamberlain
Byrd and Maitland flights and other
long.distance aerial voyages.
Such venture, aside from proving
the dependability and reliability of
planes for long distance cruises and
! the extraordinary physical qualities
of the men who made the Journey
would have little or no value from the
aerial tactical and strategical stand.
point, 1t is held.
Necessary Deviation.
Close application of an equatorial
flight" to globe or map of the world
reveals that if such a project were
authorized, it would, before compile
ton, have deviated from the line that
cuts the world in half and zig.zaa
both north and south of the Euua.
tor many times before the back door
of the starting point is reached.
The biggest problem for present.
day aircraft is the distance between
Ecuador and the Orient. If orders
called for the planes to follow the
Equator line, they would take off on
the Pacific Coast Of Ecuador and fly
out to the Galapagos Islands, a dis.
lance of about $50 miles That group.
mecca of scientists, because they form
an Incompatible natural history mu-
scum, is the outpost of Western civil
liZation. Nothing but water lies be-
tween them and the next landmark
IN the Pacific Ocean-Jarvis or Christ
mas Islands, which roughly are 5000
miles away from the Galapagos
archipelago
From there on, however, the Paci.
nc is sprinkled with numerous islands.
some of which are none too close to-
gether at the Equator, and the flight
finally would reach Sumatra after
passing through the center of Borneo.
From Sumatra a 3,700-mile flight
would be before the airmen until they
reached the east coast of Africa. at
the mainland of Kenya Then a 1000.
mile flight would await the airmen at
that point, across the heart of Africa,
through Kenya, over Lake Victoria,
through Belgian kongo and French
Equatrial Africa.
4,000.mile jump from French
Equatorial Africa across the South
Atlantic, via st. Paul Rock to the
mouth Of the Amazon River, would
bring an aerial expedition about 1000
miles from it's goal.
Probable Change I'm Route.
Such would be an equatorial
flight" but if authorization were
given today. and if planes and ad-
vanced bases were ready now, such
flight could not take place, it is be.
lieved, before February, 1928, and then
1t would be mapped out in somewhat
this manner:
Panama to Galapagos Islands, 700
miles. From this point an almost
direct southerly route would be taken
to two small islands controlled by
Chile-Sala y Gomez and Eastern
Island, distance of a little more
than 1000 miles. Then a jump would
be made to British group-Ducie,
Henderson and Pitcairn, about 1900
miles Westward thence through a
French group. Samoa, the New
Hebrides, across the Coral Sea to
where an aerial expedition would be
within reach of the airway blazed by
Sir Alan Gotham from London to
Australia and return.
At Calcutta, the project probably
would go across India to Bombay,
across the Arabian Sea to Italian
Somaliland AMI on through Africa to
the west coast. A flight commander
probably would prefer to fly up the
coast to Dakar. French West Africa,
or the Cape Verde lslonds, where
Col. Francesca de Pinedo hoppeo off
Tor his crossing of the South Atlantic
Several trips have been made to the
mainland from this or adjacent points
and about midway stands ST. Paul
Rock as pinpoint in the Atlantic
to serve as naviga ..onal check. To
avoid Northern Brazilian jungles, it
would be we'll to follow the route of
the an-American flyers and COM
plete the voyage at the Atlantic end
of the Panama Canal.
Big Mileage Required.
BY zig Tagging up and down,
north and south of the Equator, the
world would be circumnavigated at
its widest point, and an aerial mile
age considerably in excess of 24,902
the earth circumference-woul an
pear on the planes logs. Then, too.
the flight would have been guilty of
following in the footsteps of several
other pioneers in the Far East, part
Of Africa and South America, which
would clip off some of the glory of
the undertaking.
A world-girdling project would be in
possession of data pertaining to the
upper portion of the South American
coast line. which could be furnished
by the Army pan-American flyers;
Col. de Pinedo, Comdr. Ramon Fran.
co, or others, would be able to- give
some valuable informa ton about
crossing the South Atlantic from
Africa; Sir Alan has all the dope" on
the London-Australia airline and could
supply facts about certain portions
of it.
But the project would have to dig
for itself on the India to Africa jump
and, above all, the venture into the
South Pacific iSla OdS IVaotbo,, ~