Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-15
AIRMAN RELATES
THRILLS OF FLYING OVER ANDES
Capt. Cliff Travis Tells of
Experiences While on Visit
to National Capital.
Served as Chief Instructor
of AeronauticS in Peruvian
Naval Service.

An amazing story OF how he flew
mail over the most difficult air route
in the world the skyscraper pass of
the towering Andes. a forced dive in
dense fog wherein he plunged out of
cloud banks to find himself heading
into the snow-coveTed wall of steep
mountain and numerous adventures in
the treacherous South American jungles
and mountains. were related today by
Capt. Cliff K Travis. veteran Altman,
who arrived in Washington from South
America few days ago.
Originally from Seattle, Wash, Capt.
Travis iourneyed to South America some
years after the war and was employed
by the Peruvian Navy as chief instruc-
tor of aeronautics. with the rank of
a captain. He has been down there
for the last five years and speaks Span
ish like native. During his duties
in the Peruvian Navy he few all over
South America, and was given the OPP
portunity to explore many of the fasci-
mating ruins OF PeTu's ancient civili-
cation, and in his personal collection
has many interesting "flnds,' some of
them of great value both in their ma
terial and archaeological aspects.
Tells of Thrilling Rides.
He modestly tells Of thrilling rides
over the far-hung and little known
areas where fierce head-hunting tribes
Of the Jivaro Indians wage never-ending
warfare against their equally savage
enemies, ever seeking victims to con-
tinue the ancestral custom OF taking
and shrinking human heads to doll
like size When flying low over jungles,
natives often shot arrows at the speed
ing plane, some of which he afterward
recovered from the fuSelage and wings
In which they had been embedded.
Later he learned that these natives,
who had never seen white men or air
ships had thought the plane to be
giant bird and, therefore, their rlghtful
prey At times. when he landed at
armed outposts in the interior OF these
countries, the natives approached him
as If ne were deity. They would gin
gerly touch his face and hands to see
If he were fashioned Of flesh and blood
or whether he was an illusion.
so long as they only touched me
with their fingers and not with their
poisonous arrows and spears, l didn't
care" said Travis with smile.
After two and half years Of navy
and army life he resigned from the
Peruvian service and joined up with g
commercial air line. After flying the
South American routes, he was assigned
to carry the mail in the perilous hop
to and fro from Santiago, Chile. TO
Mendoza, Argentina, across the mighty
Andes.
Terrain Offered Challenge.
This hop of but $50 miles, which at
an average required about an hour and
a half. had to be made over terrain
that offered bitter challenge TO the
most skilled earthbound mountain
climbers. Naturally, a forced landing
was out Of the question. The flight at
times was made under weather condl-
tons which thrust the pilot against al
most insurmountable obstacles OF fog,
snow sleet, hail and violent winds.
Special planes, of course we're essential
Superchargers we're required for the.
motors of these planes, which enabled
them to 1ttain great speed at high att
tudes.
Travis has made the trip across the
Andes 240 times and has unsuccess-
fully attempted 1t % other times. The
day following an unsuccessful attempt,
however, he has always managed 10
complete the flight and deliver the
mails. From Mendoza to Santiago the
pilot must take his plane up to above
$4,000 feet, depending. OF course, on
visibility over the Cumbre, or hump
OF the Upsallata Pass, the perious
northern route between the two sSities.
Here he meets every known phase OF
weather on occasions which combine
all the worst features of atmospheric
conditions. Once over the hump,
the plane Is seized by the terrific wind
force and literally hurled about 5000
feet down the rugged mountain side
into one Of the many canyons below,
out of which he must find a passage
At tilfles, Capt. Travis says he has had
not more than five lengths of the plane
in which to effect a turn, and during
most OF Che time under unfaVorable
weather conditions he has visibility only
to the wing tips and. hsaow him, per-
haps for IS feet or more.
Mistake Means Death.
mistake, Of course. means instant
death. The pilot must act with a
split seconds thought, for hesitation
would mean certain destruction. The
Cambre, which rather conforms with
the contour Of the Cordillera. rises
gradually from the test and drops of
precipssately to the west for 5000 feet
into the floor Of the canyon of Fl
Juncal. On one trip over the hump"
when visibility Was measured by but a
few feet, Travis found he wRs flying
along ahNut as feet above the ground
In a few seconds ne was forced to
duck over high pass and then into
tremendous dive, TO ind that he was
running into a white wall of snow. Upon
wheeling away from this threatening
obstacle, he discovered that he was
plunging directly into . sheer wall OF
rugged rock. Daring away from that
into canyon, he nnaliy made al escape