Soviet Aircraft On Flight To N.Z.

Press, Volume C, Issue 29699, 18 December 1961, Page 25

Soviet Aircraft On Flight To N.Z.

(A Z.P.A .-acuter—Copyright J MOSCOW, December 16. Two Russian aircraft left Moscow vesterday Preliminary flight to study the possibility of using turbo-prop aircraft for regular air service to Antarctica, the Soviet ?«ews Agency, Tass, reported.

The two turbo-props, an HyueSrfn IL-18. and an Antonov AN-10 are flying members of the seventh Soviet A.-.:s>rctac Expedition to Anta rotten. They will travel by way of C.-istchurch, to the Soviet ba<e at Mirny. The well-known Soviet Polar exptorer. Dr. Mikhail Somov, said: ‘The airliners w?*i be used for expanding the international co-opera-tion started by the expeditions of 12 countries during the International Geophysical year. "Our explorers will now be able to visit more frequently their colleagues at any Antarctic base lying far from Mirny and this wilt be conducive to still closer scientific contacts between them." The group, led bv the Polar explorer, and geophvsicist. Dr. Mikhail Ostrekm. consists of scientists f-om the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and Moscow University. The flight will also determine the further organisat.on and methods of scientific observations by Soviet Antarctic expeditions with the help of aircraft, Tass said. Tne AN-10 is specially equipped for long distance •-a ns-Antarctic flights in high latitudes. It really is a flying observatory, equipped with up to date instrumentation for complex scientific observations during flights. The group will be par. ticuiariy interested in the observations over the unexplored areas ot the Antarctic Continent. specifically fo- determining the altitudes of the surface of the ice shield. Others On Ship Last month. Tass rep.irted that other members of the 300-man expedition, had left Leningrad m the diesel-electric ice-breaker Ob with 3000 tons of expedition equipment. The equipment included four new-type tractors. These

cap , w'Wk at high altitudes “** low temperatures in the unexplored cental areas of eastern Antarctica. Members of the Soviet expediticn are to co-oper-ate wito British. Austracan. New Zealand, United States, and other scientists interested in the Antarctic. No definite time for arrival at toe Christchurch Airport has yet been advised but it a expected that the two Soviet aircraft wil-l touch down some time tonxxrrow.