AIR PILOT'S CAREER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20028, 18 August 1928, Page 11

AIR PILOT'S CAREER.

WITH WILKINS TO THE POLE. THRILLING ADVENTURES. [from: our own correspondent.] NEW YORK, July 25. Lieutenant Carl-Ben Eielson, pilot of Sir George Wilkins' flight across the North Pole, was llie first man to fly north of the Arctic Circle. In 1923 he bought- a second-hand, somewhat dilapidated plane and took it to Fairbanks, Alaska. After continuous successful flying there he was, in 1924, awarded the contract for United States mails in, the territory during winter.* He made regular fortnightlytrips between Fairbanks and McGrath, a distance of 200 miles. During this service Lieutenant Eielson carried sick patients to hospital, besides medicines to remote camps, and transported mining men to their various holdings. He declares that winter flying in the Arctic had less dangers to him than mail flying in Florida, for there wero plentiful landing places on the frozen rivers and lakes.

Fortunately for the thrill-loving public, Lieutenant Eielson was in Washington, lobbying Congress for funds for flying in Alaska when the diphtheria epidemic broke cut in Nome in 1924. Had he been at Fairbanks the authorities would have paid him so much a pound per mile to tako anti-toxin to Nome and it would never have got into the newspapers. As it was, while ha was eagerly petitioning tha authorities for the splendid air services Alaska now has, the world was being thrilled from day to day by the exploits of the dog team relays in their 400-mila dash to relieve the stricken city. Lieutenant Eielson was 17 when America went into tho war and he joined the aviation services. lie had not, however, reached the stage of front-lino (lying when the armistice came. He first flew with Wilkins for 150 miles over .the pack-ice from Point Barrow in 1926. Next year he piloted Sir George 550 miles toward the pole. He made two safe forced landings on the ice and, after effecting repairs, he jnade safe landings in darkness in that sector. When only 100 miles from their baso fuel gave out and Lieutenant Eielson landed tho big machine and walked ashore with Wilkins in 18 days, sleeping at night in snow houses.