MOSCOW TO 'FRISCO VIA NORTH POLE

Northern Advocate, 21 June 1937, Page 5

MOSCOW TO 'FRISCO VIA NORTH POLE

Soviet Plane’s Pioneering Flight [Special to “Northern Advocate ”] [“The Times” Cable.l (Received 10 a.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, June 19. Information has been received at Nome, Alaska, that a single-motored Russian monoplane took off yesterday from Moscow to fly over the North Pole and Alaska to San Francisco. The aeroplane, which is pioneering an intended mail and passenger route, has a crew of three experienced Soviet pilots, Chakalov, Baydukov and Belyakov. The machine is scheduled to reach San Francisco at daybreak on Sunday. There is a. possibility that it will refuel in the air at the North Pole, where a party of Soviet scientists and mechanics have been stationed. Nearing the Pole. Twenty-four hours after the departure of the machine the Soviet authorities lifted the secrecy surrounding the attempt. A wireless message from the fliers states that they have reached latitude 85 degrees, longitude 58 degrees, and have creased Franz Josef Land, nearing the Pole. The weather is excellent.

The object of the flight is tp test the possibility of an air service between Moscow and San Francisco, with an intermediate stop at the special meteorological station at the pole. ( A Mistake. A further wireless message from the airmen reports that they are oyer Queen Charlotte Island. The message led to a report that the aeroplane had been forced down, a mistake caused by the misinterpretation of the word “down.” 1 The message reported that the machine was “going, down the Queen Charlotte' Island.” Broken Oil Line. ■ After flying for hours from Moscow, crossing the North Pole en route, the; monoplane was forced to land today at the army airport at Vancouver, a small but important military centre in the extreme north-west of the state of Washington. * j. i The fliers spent the whole—period without sleep. They ' said they had landed, owing to reports of fog near San Francisco, in addition to a broken oil line. Sufficient fuel remained for an additional 750 miles, which was 50 more than the distance required. The airmen await arrival of the Russian Ambassador, M. Troyanovsky, and will then continue on to San Francisco.

Asked For Place To Rest; ' ■ ’ Their first request after landing was for a place to rest. This was quickly provided and they fell asleep. The plane had been reported during the flight from the Queen Charlotte Island, the North Pole, Nome (Alaska) and Vancouver Island. The pole was crossed 17-2 hours after leaving Moscow according to the Russian Consulate in San Francisco.