NORTH POLAR FLIGHT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 9 April 1928, Page 2

NORTH POLAR FLIGHT.

WILKINS MAKES READY. EXPLORER AT POINT BARROW. NEW YOltK, March 24. me s sage i ix)rn. Boint Ban o\v, Alaska savs that on April 15 # Captain 0. H. Wilkins, the Australian explorer, and ills pilot, Lieutenant Eielson, will be ready to start upon their aerial dash across the North, Pole to Svalbard (Spitzbergen). Keeping a perfect course through an Arctic storm they successfully made the initial flight from Fairbanks to Point 33ar10The general programme of the explorers is to cruise over the ice until the happy day comes when conditions look favourable for their final dash to the Pole. “Then,” declared Captain Wilkins, “it will be a case of us next being heard of from Svalbard. Wg hope to land at the Pole, and in the meantime to explore fully that blind spot north and north-east of Point Barrow, which explorers have never been able to cover.”- Profiting by the experience of othcr years, \VilKins and Eielson -traversed the 600 miles over -the northern mountains and' -She prairie waste, from Fairbanks, averaging a speed better than 100 miles an hour. At 11.25 a.m., amid the cheers of the population, they sot out, their plane tuned to- the last point of perfection. With the wireless attenae dangling behind, they kept Fairbanks in touch with their progress every half-hour. At 1 o’clock they were opposite the town of Wiseman, and partook of sandwiches and coffee in the stir. At two o’clock they reported themselves in very much colder atmosphere, having climbed to 12,000 feet to reach the necessary altitude to cross the Endacott Mountains. By 2.30 they were beyond the range, descending to 2000 feet over the vast tundra, which height they held until they approached the Arctic coastline. The explorers landed at 5 p.m., bringing large supplies from- Fairbanks. They encountered fog over the whole tundra area, and half an hour liefore reaching Point Barrow they ran through a, heavy wind and snowstorm. The explorers are now busy in preparing the monoplane Lockhead Yega for the Arctic flight. The weather is clear and cold, with much less fog than in previous years. Captain Wilkins expects to start a trial flight to sea in the coming week-end.