Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18
VALUE Of PLANE
PRAISED BY BYRD
Worth of Aircraft in Polar
Exploration Fully Proved
in Antarctic.
BY REAR ADMIRAL RICHARD E.
BYRD.

oS NnuiO W Inc Guar ana Ine new 1OIh
Times
ON BOARD THE S. S. RANGITIKI.
The past seasons flying in the Ant
arctic has been a vivid proof of the
value of the airplane in exploration.
From a few doubtful and only partly
successful attempts before 1925, the air
plane has shown that when used prop
erly within limitation it can be a most
valuable means of polar travel. There
were six airplanes used in the Antarctic
last year by four expeditions. Two
were lost. Through their use many
thousand miles Of new territory was ex-
plored
Two planes lost out of six is a fairly
large percentage, but with the knowl-
edge obtained in this seasons expert
ence the percentage Of losses can be
much reduced. A seventh plane was
used by Sir Douglas Mawson, but his
flights were held down to 20 or 80 min
utes. In spite Of his short flights, how
ever, valuable information was obtained
that would have taken a long time to
get by any other method.
Does not aviation reach the height of
its romance when 1t carries a polar eX-
ploration over hitherto unknown and in
accessible areas recording at hundred
miles an hour with the aerial camera
every mile of the way? The foot trav-
eler working with dog teams over ac-
ceSsible areas does not average more
than rs miles a day. Dog teams for
long distance polar exploration are
doomed, but will always be a valuable
adjunct to the airplane.
Success Was Very Rapid.
The success OF. the. sirplane in polar
regions has been as rapid as almost uni
formly successful. From the day when
Amundsen, pioneering with bold vision,
attempted to take off from the northern
shore of Alaska on flight to Spitz-
bergen the airplane has improved
amazingly.
In 1925, a year or so after Amund-
sens first attempt, he and Lincoln
Ellsworth flew in two flying boats to
within a relatively short distance Of
the Pole, but were forced down on the
ice and by q miracle returned home
after three weeks of herculean effort.
The airplane was still not quite ready
for 1t. Engine trouble forced down one
plane and the other landed to give as
sistance. 1t was in that year also that
Floyd Bennett and flew in amphibians
over STeeUIdHu anu GllSHleTe bduu anu
with possibly little better equipment
and good fortune few nearly 5000 miles.
counting all trial flights, without acct
dent.
No Tragedies.
The results that year showed that
the airplane was almost due to achieve
great things.
That, no tragedies resulted from
these first attempts is in itself a re-
markable proof of the coming impor-
lance Of airplane exploration.
There is no longer doubt that the
airplane can be depended upon for
long distance flights in the polar re-
gions. The perfection of the cooled
motor Is largely responsible for the re-
suit, and the motor which carried us over
the North Pole was used the next year
on the transatlantic fights of Lind
bergh. Chamberlin and myself and the
Armys Hawaii flight. Then came the
splendid flight of wilkins across the
North Polar Sea from Alaska to Spitz-
bergen-not only a triumph of avia-
ton. but q splendid feat of navigation.
Events were moving so rapidly in
aviation by this time that long-distance
flights became more and more an every
day affair. Men spanned the North At
lantic and South Atlantic many times,
flew along the coast of South America
and over its iungles and crossed large
part Of the Pacific on the flight of the
Southern Cross, which still ranks as one
of the two or three greatest feats of
aviation. Airplanes explored the des-
erts and circumnavigated and bisected
Africa.
Flights In the Antarctic.
All this had been done when we
started our trip to Antarctica, to fly
over the South Pole and explore the
unknown region east Of AmundSen's old
trail. And yet there were many who
felt the use of the airplane on the
Antarctic Continent was impossible.
They pointed to the dangerous weather,
the intense cold and the altitude at
which we must fly. Even then 1t
seemed that the airplane had not proved
its possibilities to the public. And yet
see what happened.
While we were still voyaging south
and unloading, wilkins made the first
of the years flight over Graham Land.
His flight was amazingly productive.
Our first flights to the east that year from
our base, only TOO miles from the South
Pole, were short, though they were also
productive. Regions which had only
been approached by ships, contours
which were almost unknown and noun
tains near which men had sledged with
out seeing them were not only easily
discovered in a few hours flight. but
also photographed by Capt. Mckinley
with the aerial survey camera. These
first flights did something to prove, it
seems to me, that the airplane could be
used In the Antarctic and that 1t was
the best method Of quickly opening up
new territory.
O,,r nolar flight and our FIGHTS to the
east and west have been told-sufficient
here to say that the airplanes did all
we expected of them and the engines
and materials stood the weather in the
coolest continent on earth without de-
terioration.
Italia and Losses Are Cited.
The only aviation fatalities in polar
exploration were those in connection
with the loss Of the dirigible Italia and
the resulting loss of Amundsen and his
companions on the rescue flight.
So far In straight exploration, for
which careful preparation has been
made raStllfS have hoAn upif0rno1v o00d