Evening star., 1928-04-22
FLIGHT TEST|F|ES
WILKINS ABILITY
Scientist 0vercame Many
Obstacles to Attain
His Goal.
ny A. M. SMITH,

BY a. M. SMITH,
Detroit Newspaper Man Who Accompaanied
wilkins to Point Barrow. Alaska. IN ls@''
Special Dispatch to The star.
DETROIT. April 81. - News that
Capt. George Hubert wilkins. veteran
Arctic explorer, and Lieut.. Carl B. ELL
son. his pilot in three successive an
nual explorations of the Arctic area by
airplane, have successfully completed
their flight from Point Barrow, Alaska,
TO Spitzbergen thrilled Detroit today.
The hazard faced in this flight. un-
dertaken purely for scientific observa-
tion. has never been exceeded by any
in the history of aviation. They took
a course never before charted over an
area where any disaster to the plane
or men would have put their lives IN
extreme jeopardy and under Arctic
conditions. which are more difficult to
overcome than any other known flying
conditions in the world. with the one
assumed exception of conditions to be
met by Comdr. Richard E. Byrd at the
South Pole.
The dispatch from Capt wilkins indi-
Gates they probably took of from Bar
row some time during the day of April
Is. Conditions at Barrow at this time
of the year would have made IL almost
imperative that take-off for the 1900
mile fight to Spitzbergen should be at
earliest dawn.
Scientific objeetiveS.
The object Of the flight as outlined BY
Capt wilkins in Los Angeles. where he
purchased and outfitted the Lockheed
plane used. was to observe ocean cur
rents make soundings. get temperatures
of the Arctic waters at different depths
procure samples of the ocean bed and
explore land If any was encountered
The importance Of such project has
been indicated by leading meteorologists
of Sweden. Canada and the United
States for some years. Only by more
detailed knowledge of polar meteorology
and Arctic occanography viii 1t be pos
Sible ultimately to establish a ring Of
weather observation stations about the
North Pole, which will give the final
and necessary data for weather FORE
casts of lower zones of the Northern
Hemisphere.
Even these data. according to wilkins
Byrd and other scientists. must be sup
plemented by similar observations and
permanent stations in the South Poie
area TO render the most dependable
weather bureau service for the world.
BY wilkins successful fight he has
taken the forward step providing this
ultimate service, which has long been
the object Of his careful study and of
purpose to which he has held with
characteristic persistence.
wilkins Out of Funds.
On the termination of the Detroit
News-Wilkins Arctic expedition OF 1927.
wilkins was financially stranded. with
the exception OF the resources invested
fFa ha of
another Fokker and one Stinson hi-
plane the latter the gift of the News
TO wilkins and the only remaining
usable plane at the termination Of
that expedition
wilkins sold this outfit and imme-
diately ordered the building and out
fitting of a Lockheed plane, an all
wood craft. chosen among many because
Of its lightness. speed. capacity for
adaptation to Arctic low temperatures.
and. finally. the possibility that in dire
calamity in the Arctic area. the wood
OF the plane might be used in various
WAYS In working their way out over the
ice.
The LoCkheed plane vas shipped to
Fairbanks from Los Angeles, there as
semhled and finally rigged for the Arc
tic fight. The explorers took OF from
Fairbanks February Il and arrived
without mishap at Barrow on the eve
ming OF that day One or two radio
| messages from wilkins that day and
the following were all that were picked
up by radio stations OF the United
States Signal Corps the latter cooper
ating in the most helpful manner. ac-
cording to wilkins account before leav-
ing Fairbanks.
No Word Received.
From February 25 until today there
had been no word from wilkins and
speculation was high as 70 whether he
had been able to take of from Barrow
and. II he had, what had happened
to him and EileSon. This morning a
member of the News stan received q
letter from George e. King and Joe
Crosson. both Alaskan pilots, the lat
ter having been employed for one flight
In the wilkins expidition OF 1927. pro-
posing the organization Of relief ex-
pcdition.
The utter futility Of such a relief
expeditions was emphasized many times
by wilkins during the expedition last
year. His four years experience with
StefanSSon In the Arctic, l9i4-l9lS. and
knowledge OF conditions In the Arctic
area convinced him that without exact
sun observation and a fixed position of
stranded explorers in the Arctic ice
area Ii would be as impossible to find
them as to find needle in a haystack.
Because OF these conditions and tho
lmpossibility OF reliance on compass
navigation In airplanes travelling the
Arctic, wilkins left written orders that
II he and Eileson did not return from
their flight Of March -. ie2T, no re-
lief attempt should be made,
Sharp Variations.
Impossihllity Of reliance on compass
In such flights Is due 10 the fact that
variations Of magnetic lines are sudden
and sharp in the region close To the
geographic pole. and particularly be-
tween that pole and the magnetic pole,
about l.to0 miles south In the Hothia
Peninsula. The speed OF an airplane
makes constant corrections Of the COM
pass course necessary Comdr BYRD.
In his account OF his flight To the North
Pole and return. stated that except for
the sun compass used. that flight would
have been impossible,
That implies there must have been
visible sun during the flight. Wilkins
was provided with the sun compass
as Well as other necessary navigation
instruments on his present flight,
Doubtless he was also provided with