The Polar Flight

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 127, 5 May 1925, Page 6

The Polar Flight

. AMUNDSEN'S GREAT ADVENTURE ALL READY FOR TILE START. SUITABLE WEATHER AWAITED. (Received 5, 1.35 p.m.) London, May 4. , Captain Amundsen, in a wireless t message from Spitzbergen, states:— l By the tune this article appears the ’ aeroplane trials should be over and the ’ ships Fram and Hbbby should have sailed for the north coast of Spitzi bergen. from where they will advise by wireless concerning the weather out- , look. They will probably anchor near the edge of th© Polar ice or alongside the ice in &om© fjord. Once the aero--planes rejoin them there we wiff wait > for a forecast of good weather for an > extended period. When that is assured w© will take off for the Pole at 4 o’clock j in the afternoon, when th© sum will bo in such a position that tho shadow of j th© wings will not be cast across the solar compass. ; THE FLIGHT DETAILS. The distance from the base to the Pol© is 687 miles, which, if it is calm, should b© traversed in eight hours. , During the early stages w© will attempt " a speed ol 93 miles per hour, but if a head wind arises endangering the petrol supply we will either turn back, using only one engine, or we will transier the ' petrol from one machine to tho other and all return to th© base in on© aero--1 plane. ' if everything is favourable, however, we will land as soan as observations j show we ar© above th© Pole. If we land some distance from the Pole the journey will be completed on skis. We may be absent several daj’s, making perfectly sure ©f our observations. i If we cannot discover a suitable I landing we shall drop overboard a Nort wegian 11 g. a,nd then shape our course , to Spitzbergen. Even the geographical , results will not then he prejudiced, because from a height of 1000 feet we will command an area of 125 miles in , diameter. , The tests of th© apparatus to prevent the engines’ water and oil freezing hav© proved most successful. We are thus | 1 safeguarded againost difficulty in start- ' ing the engines. One aeroplane will be piloted by Riiser Larsen, and navigated by myself, and the other will b© piloted i by Dietrichsen, and navigated by Ells- ’ worth.. Films and photographs of the | 2 flight will be taken.