Evening star., 1937-06-19
500 Miles South Of Top OF
World, With "Everything
All Right" Three Flyers
Say by Radio.
HARDEST PART OF TRIP
BEHIND DARING HEROES
Dangers of Being Forced Down
by Ice on Wings Lessening al
Moscow-to-San Francisco Non.
Stop Plane Turns Southwark.
Encounter Cold Weather.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
The Polar flight OF three Rus
s,dnS Is primarily an exploration
trip, but back OF it is the possibn-
ity OF establishing commercial
air route betDeen the Soviet and
the United States pia the North
Pole. TUo years ago the Russian
ace, Stg1Smund Leuanefsky, at
tempted the flight, but pds forced
back oy engine trouble before
reaching the Pole. The present
trip tollous Soviet exploration
at the Pole itself. in Which efforts
are being made to set up permo-
nert base.
By the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, June ls.-Three
daring Russian airmen scared over the
top OF the world today and headed
southwark on 6000-mile nonstop
flight pioneering new trans polar air
route frem Moscow to San Francisco
Bay.
They few over uncharted wastes as
radio reports indicated they crossed the
halfway mark and completed the most
difficult part of their flight, not only
the longest but one of the most haz.
ardous ever attempted by man.
The Russian consulate at San Fran.
cisco said they passed over the North
Pole, or close TO it consulate officials
were not sure), at 1910 am. Eastern
standard time, today. At $50 am.
tE. S. T) the flyers reported they
were 500 miles this side of the Pole.
At 3:2o am. (E. S. T,) they had re-
ported they were about 800 miles and
everything all right"
This put them at about the half
way mark and nearing the outer
edge Of the magnetic jungle, where
the compass. key navigation instru.
ment. pointed at almost everything
but the North Pole.
Due In U. S. Tomorrow.
II they continued to hold their
single motor at the same speed, which
averaged slightly less than IS miles
an hour for the first stages Of the
flight they would bring their mono.
plane down on the Oakland Airport,
across San Francisco Bay, at about
/ pm. Sunday a pm. Eastern stand
ard time) after nearly three days
in the air
Although the fight is nonstop, Il
was announced ofiicially in Moscow
that the flyers will land before they
reach their goal if any complications
should develop.
AS they flew steadily southwark
under the Northland sun which never
sets in the Summertime, the dangers
Of being forced down from ice form
ing on the wings steadily lessened.
They reported last night, as they
entered the sub-zero Arctic atmos-
phere, ice was beginning to form on
the long, slender wings OF the mono
plane.
Then came hours of silence, char
acteristic of the fight not announced
by Soviet officials in Moscow until
"a hours after it started THURSDAY.
The silence resulted from a combi-
AAopAo-A VI Alklo CSIlSOISnlD
and the difficulties OF radio comnuni.
cation in the Far North.
Ahead Of the three heroes Of the
Soviet Union" lay extremely difficult
weather conditions" and beneath
them vast area that no white man
has even explored by land or sea
(Which ever 1t is) or by air. At the
Soviet polar camp, mists reduced visi-
bility to a mile The temperature was
just below freezing.
Precedes Regular Service.
The flight, preliminary to establish
ment of a contemplated Moscow-San
Francisco air service via the North
Pole. would surpass any previous non.
stop flight. The greatest distance ever
flown was 5,637 miles between New
York and Syria. The Frenchmen Paul
Codas and Maurice Rossi made that
record in 1885.
The trio, Pilot Valeri Pavlovitch
Chkalov, 80; Co-pilot Georgi Phillipo-
witch Baidukov. 30. and Navigator
Alexander Vassilievitch Beliakov. 40.
reported to Moscow the big, single
motored plane was working well, but
(see FLIGHT, Page A-3J
--s-