Evening star., 1937-06-29
MAITERN CONFERS.
ON POLAR FLIGHT
Discusses Plans With Soviet
Aviators Before They
Leave Washington.

thrilled tie world with their $500
mile flight across the North Pole to
Vancouver prepared to leave WASH
ington today. Jimmy Mattern. famous
American pilot, conferred with Gov.
ernment officials on his plans to back
track over the aerial path they blazed.
Mattern and the Russian aviators
discussed difficulties Of the polar
flight when they met last night at a
reception at the Russian Embassy.
The Soviet flyers, Valeri Chkalov,
Georgi Baidukov and Alexander Be-
liakov. plan to leave by rail for New
York tomorrow.
Mattern said he plans to hop off
on his proposed fight some time In
August. Accompanied only by navi-
gator, Mattern says he hopes to cut
the flying time Of the Russians nearly
in half, One ime-shortening ar
rangement, he explained, will be to
take on fuel from another plane some
where over Alaska.
Recalls Siberian Crash.
His trip will carry him near the
Vllds OF Siberia where in 1888 he lay
injured for l9 days after his plane
crashed in an attempted 'round-the
world fight, Mattern revealed
The Soviet flyers broke the official
silence imposed on them yesterday
afternoon to tell the story of their
flight at luncheon meeting of the
Overseas Writers in the Mayflower
Hotel. Members of Congress. Federal
ana civil air officials and members of
the National Press Club joined in a
tribute to the flyers and the proceed
lngs were broadcast throughout the
Nation and by short wave to the Soviet
Union.
81, 56-Hour Preparatory Flight.
Chkalov described a preparatory S.
hour flight the trio made last year
along the shore of the Arctic Ocean
which proved the possibility of the
Polar venture and gave us the right
to perform the flight" Government
permission for the undertaking was
given May IS and in spite of the
short time the pilot said, I'VE felt
ourselves ready to start because OF
the experiences of the trial flight, ="
The flight across the Pole tested all
their skill and experience, he said,
explaining that they encountered not
only all of the difficulties they had
anticipated but others they had not
foreseen
On the wings of our plane" he
said through an interpreter, I'VE
carried the message of friendship from
the peoples of the Soviet Union to
the peoples of the United States. 1t
an American flyer should come along
the same route to our country We will
snow that friendship is fact"
Lacked Weather Data.
The stolid. tousle- headed Chkalov.
senior member of the crew, spoke de-
lherately and without a smile or a
gesture. He gave way to his younger
co-pllot, who continued the story of
the trip, explaining that in spite of all
tne cooperation of neteorologists in
Russia and America, they were vir-
fually without any advance informa-
ton on weather conditions between
the North Pole and Canada. During
this trip they encountered icing con-
dltions which four times drove them
TO high attitudes above the clouds,
where the temperature went as low as
40 degrees centigrade and they seri-
Tlsly depleted their fuel reserves
After they had crossed "the pole of
inaccessability," however, he said, they
were able to relax in spite Of the bad
weather.
Baldukov pleaded for American
eympathy and understanding for his
country, which he described as being
young, as we are young" He
cautioned his hearers mot to believe
fairy stories about our country" He
also praised the Russian air force, say
ing that the flight could have been
made by any Soviet flyers
Beliakov. the navigator, explained
that the flight was an event of inter-
national importance which could not
have been completed without the
cooperation OF the peoples of the two
countries. "and especially of the Signal
Corps of the United States Army"
He said that the instant their plane
crossed the North Pole, the time
changed from am of June 10 to
pm. Of June l8.
/. Troyanovsky Speaks.
Among the speakers were the Soviet
Ambassador Alexander A. Troyanov-
sky, representatives of the Army Sig
nal Corps, the Weather Bureau, the
Bureau of Air Commerce and the air
transport lines. Carroll Kenworthy,
president of the Overseas Writers,
presided
Following the luncheon the flyers
patd courtesy calls on Secretary of
War Woodring, Gen. Malin Craig,
chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Stanley D.
Embick, deputy chief of staff, Mai
Gen. Oscar Westover, chief of the
Army Air Corps, and Maj. Gen. James
B. Allison, chief signal officer. They
were accompanied by Ambassador
Tpyanovsky, Col. Vladimir M. Bee
gunov, Soviet military attache; Col.
Francis H. Lincoln, assistant chief
of staff, CO, and Lieut. Col. John B.
Coulter War Department foreign liai-
son officer.
Last night the only formal event on
their program, a reception at the
Sovtet Embassy, was given by AM
ba1sador and Mrs Troyanovsky In
honor Of the visitors.