AMUNDSEN REGRETS WILKINS’S VENTURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17781, 26 February 1926, Page 10

AMUNDSEN REGRETS WILKINS’S VENTURE.

By Telegraph.—" Press Assn. —Copyright. Reuter’s Telegrams. VANCOUVER, Febritary 24. Captain Amundsen, the Polar explorer, is confident of passing over the North Pole in his flight, in an Italian made dirigible of semi-rigid type, from Spitzbergen to Poirtt Barrow, Alaska, in May. He declared there was not the slightest doubt that he would make it. He stated he would be flying in the Polar regions when the atmospheric conditions would be ideal.

Captain Amundsen doubts the existence of a great continent in the Polar region. As far as he was able to judge years of experience in exploration work, the Pole was surrounded by a million square miles of water and an enormous field of ice.

He deeply regretted the Wilkins expedition had decided to use aeroplanes in its Polar flight. lie believes that aeroplanes at their present stage of development are useless for Polar work. With a dirigible there was no necessity for searching for non-existent landing places, and there was greater possibility of success.

The airship, which was designed by Signor Nobile, a civil engineer, made it*'. maiden voyage in March, 1924, and has since made long I and successful trips. It is of 672.000 cubic feet capacity, 34<Sft long, 85ft 4in high, 64ft wide, and has a maximum speed of 62 miles an hour. It is provided with three engines. each of 250 h.p., and has accommodation for twenty passengers. The crew of the airship on its Polar trip will consist of practically all those who took part in Amundsen's aeroplane expedition as well as some of the original Italian crew’, including Signor Nobile, who will act as navigation officer. The flight across the Pole is one of 2235 miles, and can. it is expected, be completed in about 50 hours. The cruising radius of the airship is 3725 miles. Captain G. 11. Wilkins, the Australian explorer, and Major Lanphicr, official observer, of the United States Army (who is to accompany him on the Polar flight) are using Fokker ’planes. One is a three-motor epaft, with a cruising radius of 2500 miles. If it can operate in the cold it will be given preference because it can still be navigated if one or two of the motors break down. A second is a singlemotor machine, with a cruising radius nf 3100 miles. If a suitable landing is found in the. Arctic, the explorers may return to Point Barrow for the spare 'plane, and then return and map out the new land. If no land is discovered they will attempt to fly over the Pole to Spitzbergen, a journey of 1000 miles.