AIR CONQUEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 115, 18 May 1933, Page 14

AIR CONQUEST.

MIGHTY EVEREST. STORY OF EPIC FLIGHT. PHOTOGRAPHS AT 30,000 FEET (By the MARQUESS OF CLYDESDALE.) PURNEA (India), April 3. Mount Everest, world's loftiest peak, has been conquered'. To-day the two 'planes of the Houston expedition flashed over its white summit, which reaches more than 29,000 feet into the skies and had hitherto resisted every assault by man. This morning the Indian meteorological officer at Purnea, Mr. S. N. Gupta, whose information and advice have been of very great value to our expedition, reported after balloon observations that the wind, previously unsuitable, had dropped to 57 miles an hour at 33,000 feet. We had decided this altitude would be the 'best working height for photographic survey.

Our machines took off at 8.25 from Lalbalu Aerodrome, in still air. The Houston-Westland 'plane was manned by Colonel L. V. S. Blacker, chjef observer of the expedition, and myself. The Westland-Wallace was piloted by Flight-Lieutenant D. F. Mclntyre, with S. R. Bonnett, chief cinematographer of the expedition, as observer. • Our direct route to the summit meant flying on a track of 342 degrees (18 degrees west of north). This necessitated changing the compass course at intervals more to the west because of the increase of wind velocity with the increase in height. Dust Haze Blocks Survey. We had relied' on overcoming to some extent the difficulty of accurate compass navigation, caused by frequent change of wind speed, by good landmarks near and along our track. But heavy dust haze rising to a considerable height almost obscured the ground from Forbesganj to the higher mountain ranges. This made aerial survey work impossible.

We climbed slowly at low engine revolutions to 10,000 feet. At this height the crews of 'both machines had tested their electrical lieating eets, and Lieutenant Mclntyre and 1 signalled each other that everything was satisfastory. After 30 minutes' flying we passed over Forbceganj, our forward emergency landing ground 40 miles from Purnea, and we were 19,000 ft up when Everest first became visible above the haze. We flew lower than our intended working height in order to make every endeavour to pass over Komaltar. Close to this is the ground control from which we had planned to begin our aerial survey. It proved impossible to identify any landmarks at all until we were within approximately 20 miles of the fcummit. At nine o'clock we passed over Ehamlang at an altitude of 31,000 ft. On the approach to Lothi, the southern peak of the Everest group, the ground rises at a steep gradient. Both machines encountered a Steady down current due to the deflection of the west wind over the mountain. Thiiv caused a loss in altitude of 1500 ft, despite all our efforts to climb. Cleared by 100 ft. Both airplanes flew over the summit of Mount Everest at 10.05 o'clock. We cleared the peak by 100 ft. The wind velocity was noticeably high near the summit, but no bumps were felt by either aircraft. Fifteen minutes were spent- in flying In the neighbourhood of the summit, and because of- the smooth flying conditions the taking of close-range photographs was possible.

The visibility of distant high peaks ■was very good. The great Himalaya K*nge could he seen extending a, vast distance and providing a magnificent spectacle. The return journey was carried out at & slightly lower altitude so we might lave better conditions for oblique photography. Both machines landed at Lalbalu at 11.25. The pilot's pay the Jhighm; tributes to the splendid performance of engines and aircraft. Oxygen Pipe Fractured. The only mishap was a fracture of the oxygen pipe of S. R. Bonnett, aerial photographer, who went as observer in the' Westland-Wallace 'plane piloted by Lieutenant Mclntyre. This mishap occurred over the summit of Mount Everest. Bonnett became faint from violent pains of the stomach. He had to sit down in the cockpit and eventually he -discovered the reason for his illness—the broken oxygen tank.

Bonnett tied his handkerchief around the break and soon had recovered sufficiently to resume his photographic work. Apart from this and a blister caused hy heat from one of Mclntyre's electrically-heated gloves, the crews of, both 'planes were entirely comfortable. So far as the aerial survey is concerned the flight probably was not very satisfactory, because both cameras failed to operate over part of the flight. But the still cameras produced magnificent photographs of the crest of Mount Everest and of the surrounding peaks, including one fine close-up of Mount Everest showing the main southern slopes and the .final ridge where George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Irvine, climbers, lost their lives in 1924. This close-up showed the great peak, Everest, itself. A Still Morning. The morning was still, with the sun climbing late above the haze. AirCommodore Fellowes, leader of the expedition, at 6.30 went up into the haze in the Puss Moth 'plane for reconnaissance. He climbed 17,000 ft over the .Nepal frontier, hut failed to clear the haze. Nevertheless the strength of the -wind was reported as reasonably satisfactory and the hope that the haze would subside led to the decision to make the attempt at once. ' A balloon sent up at dawn had heen watched to a height of 16,000 ft. At this point it indicated the wind speed of 22 miles. The 'planes for the flight were brought out at seven o'clock and the cameras were fitted in. The engines were started at the first attempt, at eight o'clock, and the machines left the ground at 8.25. They made a quarter-circuit of the aerodrome, and then headed north, flying in formation, with Lord Clydesdale in the lead. . The 'planes climbed steeply, and in a few minutes we were lost to sight in the haze. Thereafter no word was heard, of us for three hours. During this period we climbed through three mUes of haze, travelled a double journey of j 160 miles, and reached a maximum i height approximating 30,000 _ feet j directly over- the crest of Everest itself.

"I was particularly impressed by the enormous size of the glaciers," said Bohnett. "They are vastly bigger than any I ever saw in Switzerland. There are many tremendous precipices apart from the north ridge. Some of them are absolutely perpendicular for thousands of feet." No Signs of Strain. Captain Bennett, physician attached to the expedition, examined Bonnett to see if he had suffered any serious harm from his mishap. He found Bonnett still shaken, but this was all. Bonnett described the break in the tube. "The spiral armour had pulled out near the connection," he said, "and no oxygen was reaching my mask. After I had tied my handkerchief around the break and we had started down fast I soon began to recover." , Captain Bennett also examined the others who made the flight. The pilots .showed no sign of strain. Mclntyre said that his mask had come unfastened for a short period while ho was flying over the summit, and that he had replaced it with some difficulty. Colonel L. V. S. Blacker, who flew as observer in the 'plane piloted by myself, was pale and tired after the flight, but not suffering from exhaustion. Numerous letters were carried over the summit in l(ie-utenant Mclntyre's 'plane. They bear special cancellation •stamps and they are being sent out of India by air maiL Included are letters to King George, the Prince of Wales and Lady Houston, the backer of the flight.