Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-07
BYRD TUNES PLANE
FOR POLAR FLIGHT
'Tri-Motored Craft Is Hauled
From Snow Hangar
in Two Days.
BY RUSSELL OWEN.


pulling on rope fastened to the skis,
its wide, thick wing lifting slowly over
the snow until 1t stood perched on top
like. prehistoric bird of this lost con-
tinent
Now Il lies beside the smaller Fair
child, looming above it, and this float
ing hunk of ice on the edge of the
wilderness begins to look like an avia-
ton camp.
Getting out the Ford. which is
named the Floyd Bennett after the
men who few with Comdr. Byrd over
the North Pole and who would have
been his pilot on this polar fight If he
had not died in an attempt to rescue
the German transatlantic flyers. was
two-day job. It was buried in snow
hangar until only its wing showed above
the surface, and puppies played up and
down it in the sun and slept there
basking in the warmth.
When 1t was first put away last Fall
with the center section and wing
motors in place. a deep hole was dug, q
wall of snow blocks built around the
There it lay safely all Winter up to
its neck in a snoWdrift, unique
hangar.
Cold Task Getting II Out.
while ago the aviation gang went
to work on it. They set up a stove
made of a gasoline drum in one corner,
from which tin chimney carried the
fumes of burning seal blubber to the
surface just behind the wing.
1t was desperately cold for such work
when they began on the engines some
time ago, So below zero They could
not work with gloves TIL the time, and,
although they covered their hands with
grease, they became burned and bis
tered from handling metal tools. Get
ting of carburetor or overhauling
valves had to be done with logged
patience and pain.
The entrance to the deep, square hole
in which was set the fore part of the
fuSelage and the engines was through
a snow tunnel leading from in back
of the center section beside the fuSelage.
One slipped and slid down this to a
canvas curtain, pushed it aside and
fell doySA an unseen slippery snow step
into a large room.
The light was dim at first after the
glare outside and vaguely could be
seen the outline of the towering plane,
an engine hanging overhead and the
dim figures of men working.
A step forward and one stumbled
over the widespread landing gear. Bet
ter to wait until the eyes were accus-
toned to the half light. A yellow glare
shone from the open stove where a man
knelt feeding 1t seal blubber until it
roared and Missed. All around the stove
the snow had melted back and formed
tiny spikes of ice on the wall.
The room was large, Is feet high at
least, and shadowy space stretched away
under the fuselage and into another big
cavern on the other side, where the
other wing motor hung.
Lighted by Clean Through Snow.
A soft blue light filtered through the
snow high up on the wall. and overhead
yellow light shone through the canvas
roof. A blow-torch under an engine
threw up thin blue flame Ice glistened
on the side of the metal fuselage At
che side was long bench covered with
tools.
The figures Of men became defined
as eyes became accustomed to the light.
UP IN front on ledge Of snow, was
Benny Roth. chunky figure in his
WOODEN parka covered with windproof,
serious as always and efficient, working
with bare hands on the 55o-horsepower
engine In the nose of the plane. Pete
Demas in a fur cap and canvas fur
lined coat stood beside him, stamping
his feet ready to do something on the
outside Of the motor that had connec-
ton with the play of RothS fingers far
UP behind the ring of cylinders.
Through the windows of the fuselage
Bernt Balchen and Kennard Bubier
could be seen working. The door was
open, and one can step inside to a floor
slippery as glass from snow. Balchen
wore his usual grin, never so happy as
when working on plane.
He and Bubier were overhauling the
gas lines, rearranging the system slight
ly to meet Antarctic conditions. In the
center section overhead, somebody was
scrambling around, Alton Parker work.
ing there on fittings for the wings tips.
Work Brings Praise From Byrd.
Day after day these men have been
working in a temperature which few
mechanics would face at home. They
checked motors, rugged throttle and
spark controls for the engines, changed
the gas lines, installed a new gas
gauge, lacked the plane up and put
on new ski pedestals and aligned them,
one things which must be done on a
plane before it is ready to fly.
Con1dr. Byrd was enthusiastic in his
appreciation of the way they tackled
the cold and disagreeable task.
Mechanics Roth, Bubier and Demas
have the grueling work on the engines
in the cold without any of the Joy
commander. When we start out we
win be riding those engines, and I hope
that the vitality important part they
have played will not be forgotten, as is
usually the case"
Getting the wing tips on was an
other problem. They were buried S
feet deep under the snow, marked by
stakes, having been placed there for
safety last Fall.
They were uncovered and found to
be full of snow. How to get them
out?
They were lifted and placed on boxes
and blow torches put under them, the
top of the hole being covered with can
vas. This made sort of turkish bath
in which the snow was melted and ran
from the wing tips, leaving them clean
and dry. What little was left evap-
GRATED. 1t was an arrangement as in
genious as 1t was successful.
Once the wing tips were empty and
the fittings ready on the center Sec
ton it was matter of only half an
hour to fasten each of them in place
They were lifted from the hole by Is
or 20 men, carried TO the center Sec
ton and held there while the bolts were
quickly thrust into place and fastened
At home. scaffolding would be nee
esSary, but here the drifted surface is
so high that it furnished perfect plat
form around the plane. And, standing
at one side after the tips were in place
it was possible to see, as 1t seldom is
on a flying field where the wing is high
above ones head, the complex curves
OF this thick metal structure which, By
the necromancy of aerodynamicS, lift
tons into the air.
Ramp Made From Hangar.
Then the canvas roof over the from
of the snow hangar was removed, anc
the three bladed metal propeller for the
big center motor put in place.
With the roof off, the hangar seemed
lilEn looking 6nMlI