EVEREST OVERCOME.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18952, 23 May 1933, Page 2

EVEREST OVERCOME.

GREAT FLYING FEAT.

ROOF OF WORLD CRO3BED.

(From a Correspondent.)

LONDON, April 4

British aviators yesterday flew »b-ove the roof of the -world. They looked down upon the summit of Everest, the highest point of the earth’s surface, which hitherto had defied all man’s attempts at conquest. The only “original” flight remaining after the amazing achievements of the past few years has been accomplished by a British expedition. The highest mountains are proved to be no obstacle to the living machine; Everest the majestic, revered as a mighty god, has fallen at last to the onslaught of mechanical science.

The successful flight followed several days of w'aiting for the wind around the summits of the great hills to subside. Day after day Air Commodore Fellowes, leader of the expedition, ascended on an aerial reconnaissance. Balloons were sent up to test the wind speed at still greater heights. Velocities of 120 miles an hour' or moro were common; the storms and ley winds whloh blow about the Himalayan peaks are not matched on earth. Two days before the expedition reached the base aerodrome at Purnea the winds had been comparatively moderate, ranging around -15 miles per hour, and there were not wanting natives to declare that the god was defending his fastnesses with the power of the air. Early yesterday morning balloon observations showed that the wind speed had fallen to less than GO miles per hour at, a height of approximately 33,000 feet. At 8.25 a.m. the two high-flying Westland biplanes ascended from Lalhalu .aerodrome, a landingground about seven miles north of Purnea. One of them, the HoustonWeslland craft, carried SquadronLeader the Marquess of Clydesdale, chief pilot or the expedition, and Lieutenant-Colonel L. V. S. Blacker; Ihc other, a Westland “Wallace,” carried Flight-Lieutenant D. F. McIntyre, pilot, and Mr S. R. Bonnett. an expert kinematographer. Less than an hour afterwards the two aeroplanes reached a height of 31,000 feet near Ihe summit of Chamlang, a mountain 2-1,500 feet high due south of Everest, and at 10.5 a.m. both machines cleared the, summit of Everest by 100 feet Foi'/i 5 minutes they circled over the mountain, while Colonel Blacker and Mr Bonnett worked feverishly to tak' 1 still and moving pictures of the stupendous panorama around them. The onlv limit to vision was the curvature of ihc earth’s surface.

Circling the Summit. Over Chamlang the flyers went through several alarming seconds. The aeroplanes met ihc full force of Ihc to critic down draught caused by Ihc wind sinking the further side of Everest and sweeping down towards I hem. Though the machines maintained climbing angle under full engine power the draught pushed them down 2000 feet in a few seconds, LL 1* seemed ns if they must be thrown against the mountain ridge beneath. Fortunately as they descended they moved away from the down current and Anally cleared the ridge with a little lo spare. Two complete circuits were made of Everest, the pilots putting the aeroplanes into steep banks to "enable the observers to get good photographic views. At 11.25 u.m., three hours a.ter take-off, the aeroplanes landed at Lalbalu. One incident alone Vad marked Ihc flight: over the summit a pipe fractured in Mr Bonnclt’s oxygenbreathing apparatus, causing him pain and discomfort till lie was able to tie a handkerchief around the breakage*

Engine Achievement. Tho aeroplanes which made this marvellous Might were acquired from •He Westland Aircraft Works, and were specially equipped for the job. Power is derived in each machine from a single Bristol “Pegasus” fed fully supercharged 525/580 horsepower air-cooled radial engine, simi.ai In the motor which took Mr Cyril kuin's biplane last autumn to the world's record height, of -13,976 feet. The craft piloted by Lord Clydesdale, called the llouslon-Westland in honour of Lady Houston, who gave fir, poo lowards the cost of the expedition, was built some time ago for flic Air Ministry. Jt has folding wings and an unusually wide under-carriage. The oilier machine is a standard “Wallace” general-purpose aircrafi, shorn of its military equipment and powered with “Pegasus" S 3 motor instead of the less highly “boosted engine normally fitted. When the order was negotiated the expedition organisers stipulated that the aircraft should, attain in trial Mights a height above sea-level of at leas!, 3-1,000 feel, providing an adequate margin over feet of Everest- All military®*' and fittings, such as wheel fairings and wheel brakes, were removed to save weight, in order that the required • height might easily he reached with the heavy load which was to ho carried during the flights, comprising pilot and observer. 90 gallons of fuel, oxygen-breathing and electrical heating apparatus, camera and kine-camera, and many special instruments. The observer's cockpit in each aeroplane Is enclosed to protect the occupant against, the terrible cold of the gicat heights. Sliding windows are provided for work with the cameras.

Seven Miles High.

Tiie trial flights from Yeovil aerodrome, Somerset, were completely successful. The llouston-Westland carried its full load to more than 35,000 foci, above sea-level, incidentally establishing a world’s record for height attained by an aeroplane carrying more than one person. That height was readied in only 7-i minutes from the. moment of take-off, and the aeroplane inninlninod there In level flight a speed of 110 miles an hour, though the rarity of the atmosphere prevented the engine from developing more than a fraction 'Of Its normal power. Tho “Wallace" was equally successful.

The Everest, flight has demonstrated once again the pre-eminent qualities of British aircraft, and, above all, of British aero engines. It does not rank as a world’s record in the list recognised by the. international Aeronautical Federation, but it comes as a magnitlccn! corollary to Britain's possession of Iho only three Hying records which matter—absolute height, absolute speed and absolute, distance. Flight-Lleutejyint Stainforth holds the speed record with -107.5 miles per hour.

Mr 1/wins the height, record with 7b feet.; and

Squadron-Leader Hay ford and Flight-Lieutenant Nicholetle the. distance record with 5311 miles.

giv of the leading British llrms of aeroplane and aero engine makers share the honours of tho three world record achievements and of the Everest flight.