FLIGHT TO THE POLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10389, 7 May 1925, Page 6

FLIGHT TO THE POLE.

AMUNDSEN'S PLANS. SAILING FROM SPITSBERGEN. rPer Press Association —Copyright.) ( LONDON, May 4;

Captain Roald Amundsen., in a wireless message from Spitzbergen, states: "Bv the time this article appears the aeroplane trials should be over, and the ships Pram and Hobby have sailed for the north coast of Spitzbergen, from where they will advise by wireless concerning the weather outlook. "They will probably anchor near the edge of the Polar ice, or alongside ice in some fiord. Once the aeroplanes rejoin them there we will wait for a forecast of good weather for an extended period. When that is assured we will ' take-off ' for the Pole at four o'clock in the afternoon, when the sun will be in such a position that the shadow of the machines' wings will not be cast across the solar compass. "The distance from the base to me pole is 687 miles, which, if it is calm, should be traversed in eight hours. During the early stages wc will attempt a speed of 93 miles an hour, but it a head wind arises, endangering the petrol supply, we will either turn back, using only one engine, or we will transfer the petrol from one machine to the other and all return to the base in one aeroplane. "If everything is favourable however, we will land as soon as the observations show we are above the Pole. If we land some distance from the lole the journey will be completed on skis. We may be absent several days, maltins perfectly sure of our observations. If we cannot discover a suitable landma we shall drop overboard the JNorweginn flag and then shape our course to Spitsbergen. "Even the geographical results will rot then be prejudiced, because from a hei"ht of 1000 feet we will command an arc- of 155" miles in diameter. the tests of the apparatus to prevent the engines, water and oil from freezing have proved most successful and we are thuo safeguarded against difficult} in starting the engines "One aeroplane will be piloted bj Lieutenant Wiser Larsen and will be navigated by myself, and the other will be piloted by Lieutenant Dietrichsen and navigated by Lieutenant Ellsworth. Films and photographs of the flight will bo taken."