POLAR FLIGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18180, 30 August 1933, Page 11

POLAR FLIGHT

FAITH IN THE AEROPLANE EQUIPMENT FOR EMERGENCY The famous American explorer, Mr. Lincoln Ellsworth reached Auckland this week to make further preparations for his forthcoming expedition to the Antarctic, involving a flight by aeroplane across the polar continent from the Ross Sea to the Weddell Sea and back, a total distance of 2900 miles. Mr. Ellsworth had some .interesting comment to make about his contemplated flight. “It may be that I will bo criticised for not taking two aeroplanes with me,” lie said. “Amundsen and I used two aeroplanes on our unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Polo in 1925, there being an idea in the back of our minds that on descending at the pole we could fly one machine back, fuelling it from tile machine we would abandon. In practice it did not work out well. When we were forced down to make observations 120 miles from the pole, the crews of the two machines found themselves three miles apart, and fuelling from one machine to the other was practically out of the question. NO PLANS TO LAND

“The most valuable way to use two aeroplanes is to hold one in reserve at your base so that should the other meet with a mishap a rescue is possible by means of tho other. Finance, however, has limited what we can do, and another machine is at present out of the question. “I have no reason to expect it will be necessary to land anywhere, bub if such an eventuality should occur, our machine has certain very definite advantages—the fruits of my experience in the Arctic, and of Byrd in the Antarctic. Our machine is smaller than Byrd’s, but it has the merit of being able to land at slow speed, at anything from 45 to 50 miles an hour. Unless,” he added with a smile, “we shot)ld run into a crevasse when landing, I have no reason to anticipate any trouble in taking off again.” Questioned as to tho chances of rescue should the worst happen, Mr Ellsworth said the aeroplane would carry emergency rations to last three months. A hand sledge, a tent and spades to build an ice cabin also would be carried. “1 should not relish a long sledge journey, however," said the explorer. “It is impossible to sustain one’s strength on the kind of rations we shall be forced to take—pemmican, milk chocolate, oatmeal biscuit, powdered milk, malted milk tablets, raisins and nuts. I. remember how our strength began to fail when we- were trying to get the aeroplane out of the ice in 1925. To exert just a little pressure while we were digging with our spades exhausted iis. WIRELESS EQUIPMENT “Relief from the base would be out of the question,” he added. “It would necessitate the laying of depots by a large expedition, and the 16 men who are going south in the expedition's ship will be incapable of such a tremendous task, occupying, in the case ot the Shackleton and Scott expeditions, many months of arduous labor.” In addition to the wireless transmission set operated by the motor, there would be a smaller sot capable of being operated by hand, which would give the aeroplane’s position if forced down, but in such an eventuality there would he little hope of rescue. Mr. Ellsworth said he did not anticipate experiencing the conditions obtaining on his Arctic aeroplane flight. On that occasion they found their fuel half exhausted and ran into a heavy wind that drove them out of their course. The instruments to be carried on the coming expedition, would ensure that on meeting similar conditions exact observations would bo possible.