SOUTH POLE FLIGHT.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 83, 20 March 1928, Page 9

SOUTH POLE FLIGHT.

BYRD'S PREPARATIONS. SIB DOUGLAS MAWSON IMPRESSED. During his stay in the United States about 12 months ago, Sir Douglas Mawson mer Commander Byrd, who was then 'formulating plans for an expedition to the Antarctic regions, and he was impressed by the careful and comprehensive preparations which were being made. In the course of conversation with an Otago Daily Times 'reporter at the week-end. Sir Douglas said that if anyone could fly io the South Pole. Commander Byrd was the man to do it. He bad made aerial navigation a life study, and was undoubtedly a thorough master ol his subject. Al-

ready a great deal of enthusiasm over the flight had been roused in America, and, as money was not lacking, there was no fear that the expedition ould not be equipped with everything which would make for the utmost efficiency.

The actual fight to the Pole, Sir Douglas considered, did not present any special difficulties, but it had to be remembered that flying to tho South Pole was an entirely different matter to a trip hy aeroplane or airship to tho North Pole. In the latter ease the aviators had to fly over the frozen set at a normal elevation, whereas, between the Ross Sea and the South Pole, the great Antarctic plateau, 10,500 ft in height, intervened, which meant that anv aeroplane making the flight would have to travel at an elevation of at least 11.000 ft. To attain this height, the question of weight would have to be considered carefully, and it wns probable that the expedition would establish a base at the foot of the plateau near whaX Captain Amundson called the Devil's Glacier, and thus he able to send the machines away with a minimum of weight.