Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08

his type of plane and equipment. Tn
altitude at which one must fly in tn
Antarctic also complexities matters ex
adds to the manifold difficulties for an,
one who wishes to so conduct his fiigh
that 1t shall have the maximum oppor
tunity of success.
I have now had three experiences o
flying in the polar regions. and each o
them has been very different. The frs
yas probably the most difficult of then
al. although less is known about tina
expedition than the two more Spectacu
lar polar expeditions.
Flying Conditions Bad.
am referring to the Mcmillan expe.
dition to Greenland, on which FloyC
Bennett and few from the northern
most Eskimo village over the fjords anC
ice-capped highlands of Greenland ano
Ellsmere Land. We had single -motoreC
amphibian planes and few over dis
tricts where landing was impossible
We had never seen worse flying condi-
tions. The failure of the motor would
have meant disaster during most of our
flights, and I think it was then we be-
advantages of the multi-motorec
plane for flying over dificult terri
tory. We have used such a plane
ever since. At times we were buffeted
by winds that tossed the plane like a
leaf, and to keep control was a never
ending struggle. Below were ice-flleo
fjords, a sea filled with ice or the for
bidding capped land. 1t was a
supreme test of the use of plane in
the polar regions and convinced me
that polar exploration by air was not
only possible but practicable, and for
quick geographical exploration the best
means of transportation.
But on all these flights we were in
touch with a land where there were
living people and plentiful animal life.
Our greatest danger was from a crash,
for once safely down 1t would not have
been impossible to have made ones
way to safety, living OF the land, and
we could possibly have reached the Es-
kimos. Even If we had Travelled. hun
dreds of miles, we would have had a
different from the Antarctic, where one
must take inland everything necessary
to sustain life.
The North Pole FIigha.
The next flight Bennett aSd I made
was to the North Pole 7nat again,
was a different problem. Taking of
from the water was the only possible
way to get into the air on the Green
land flights, but on the North Pole
flights we were able, by flying early,
covered land. That made possible the
use of a different type of plane, large
three-motored plane on skis.
The flight was to be made over the
ice-covered water of the polar basin
from Spitzbergen to the Pole and back
again. We were not troubled with OBJ
StacleS such as mountains or Swirling
winds; it was only necessary to get the
plane OF with sufficient fuel TO take us
to the Pole and back That seemed
fairly easy, but we did not know as
much about skis then as we do row,
and ours bent like barrel slaves. The
result was that we had difficulty in get
ting of with sufficient fuel, oil and
emergency supplies. Once in the air.
conditions were ideal, thanks to Will
liam HaineS, our meteorologist. We
were fortunate in our weather and had
the sun all the way and could choose
an altitude near sea level where the
efficiency Of the plane was greatest.
Hazards of Flight.
The hazard of this flight lay, OF
course, In being forced down on the ice
we could have got into the air, and with
only rubber boat our chances of get
ting back would have been slim.
Amundsen and Ellsworth were forced
down near the Pole and got back, but
1t was only after three weeks of super
human exertion by six men that they
got one of their planes into the air
again. AmundSen himself told me that
there would have been no chance of
walking back. NanSen, with one COM
panion, lived on the ice of the Polar
Sea for months, finally reaching Franz
Josef Land, but succeeded only because
of his astounding courage and physical
strength and expert knowledge of the
Polar Sea. But, of course, he had far
more food and equipment than Amund-
sen and Ellsworth were able to carry in
their planes. Both of these groups OF
men were fortunate. For us the hazard
of landing a plane on the broken ice OF
the Arctic Sea would have been great
But aside from this contingency, which
at one time, owing to an oil leak
seemed only too near, the fight was
merely a matter of proper prepare
ton, reliable engines and navigation.
The weather was, Of course, an impor-
tant factor, and I will speak Of that
later.
AmIAfCtlC heaIlZat1Ons
When we prepared for the South Pole
flight, however, we realized-only part
", however-that we were up against q
very different sort of problem than we
had faced before Instead of flying over
dangerous territory somewhere neal
tribes of natives, with plentiful fooC
supplies, or flying at low efficient alti-
tude over the sea, We must this time
do our flying at very high elevation
and over q country in which nothing
lived. If we came down, we would in.
deed be on land instead OF drifting ICE
foes, but we would have to walk home
hundreds of miles and pull our fooC
after us over some Of the most difficult
trails in the world.
When we discovered q new mountain
range to the eastward We few over
pressure and crevaSSed areas that i
would have been impossible to wall
over. We would have had to wall
around to the southwark. This woulc
have made the distance so far that WI
could not have carried enough food tC
get back to Little America. We woulc
be limited in what we carried on TIT
plane for the South Pole flight by thu
height to which we must ny. In other
words, our take-off load would be les!
than the capacity of the plane.
could not get of with more than i
could take over the mountains. Tha
was a new problem in long distance fly
ing. and what with the necessity o
carrying much emergency equipment IL
case Of forced landing, we had II
think q long time before deciding wha
was best to do There were various
alternatives, based originally on thu
use Of two planes, but after the loss o
one plane the first season we were lin
tied to two or three plans.
The difference between these vari
Gus flights came often to our mind
during the weeks of preparation. ant
nothing did more to emphasize the con
over the sea, in the other vast irregu
lar continent surrounded nv nrnIac