Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-09-09
4 BELOW ZERO
AT $4,000 FEET
EARL VANCE AND GLEN HAGEN
FIND COLD WEATHER TAKING
AERIAL PICTURES
Have Been Mapping Wooded Areas for
Forestry Service Flying From Head
quarters at Helena to AbsarOkee
and Lincoln Regions Daily.

The weather bureau says it will
be clear, cloudless day. That
means, during July and August
the temperature will hover around
the 90 mark but down at the Hell
ena airport Earl Vance and Glen
Hagen pull on their sweaters-be-
cause where they're going they
may find the temperature as cool
as four degrees below zero. They're
off on another days aerial map
ping for the forest service, flying
at an altitude Of 14,100 feet above
! the area to be mapped, which means
that at times they're $4,000 feet above
sea level. That's where the temper
allure drops below the zero mark.
Vance, one Of Montana's best known
ana most popular fliers who barn
stormed around the Treasure state
when navigation was in its infancy, and
Hagen, grammetric engineer for the
Wallace aerial surveys, have been In
Helena for the past three weeks map
ping forest land in that area, swapping
pictures of areas two miles by three
miles which will be developed to give
the forest service near-perfect pic
lures of every foot Of national forest
land.
Flying High
Vance and Hagen have been map
ping in the rugged AbSarokee forest
country near Yellowstone national
park. They fly over the area at $4,000
feet, leaving Helena at about GAS
O'Clock every cloudless morning.
It's not light enough at Gas these
mornings to take pictures but by the
time the pilot and the photographer
gain the 24,000-foot level they're over
the MISUNDERSTANDING time about one
hour-and are ready to go to work
If they get enough clear days, they
expect to finish their work in this area
shortly. But they have been held up
frequently because of clouds. They
must have absolutely clear weather to
take their pictures.
Flying over the Absarokees, or over
the rugged Lincoln area where they
had to climb to 20,500 feet above sea
level In order to keep the required
14,1O0 feet above the mean elevation,
they wear oxygen masks Of the latest
type and carry an oxygen cylinder
which will last the two Of them from
eight to nine hours. Oxygen equipment
Is Of the latest type. 1t Is used at al
tttudes Of over 1000 feet.
Has Wide View
The men fly q huge Fairchild II
plane powered with a Wasp S-1-D-1
motor, the same as which powers the
new Boeing transports. The camera Is
q Fairchi1d KS with an B4-inch lens
which takes pictures of an area two
miles by three miles. When developed, |
the pictures are seven by nine inches |
but may be enlarged 70 any size de- |
sired, even up 70 six or seven feet.
On a clear day, Vance estimates he |
can survey with his eyes an area with |
8 circumference Of 500 miles from the |
"A ,000-foot level.
he still marvels, although he's been
flying over this country great deal, |
at the number OF gold operations scat /
tered around the mountains, but SAYS |
he never sees any game. Animals are |
Too small to be seen from four miles /
I'D In the air and IL he drops close /
enough TO see them, the noise Of plane 1
rrightens them away.
The huge camera Is placed In the /
bottom of the ship and hole is cut |
through the floor for the lens. Hagen,
Who gained his aerial photography I
raining In the army. sights through /
he viewfinder and snaps his pictures
Is he sits Ia the plane.