POLAR EXPLORATION BY AIRCRAFT 



Richard E. Byrd 



What a thrill the aviator-explorer gets flying over Arctic regions 

 at the rate of a mile and a half or two miles a minute ! He looks down 

 on snow-covered land and ice where the dog-team traveler would take 

 months to cover what he can traverse in a day. The foot traveler 

 would undergo hardships and privations, while he is skimming along 

 comfortably, easily. 



But the aviator-explorer has staked a great deal, possibly his life, 

 on his engines; throughout much of his flight a forced landing would 

 mean a crash in a region where a safe return to base, even if he were 

 uninjured, would be uncertain. This risk, of course, will become less 

 and less as engines become more reliable. 



Though aircraft afford a quick means of covering large areas, 

 there are only certain times of the year when flying in the polar 

 regions is practicable. It is more hazardous than foot travel, even 

 with the best flying conditions. At the present stage of aviation 

 development it would seem that the principal function of aviation 

 in exploration in the Arctic is to locate regions desirable for scientific 

 investigation and to leave to the dog-team user the gathering of local 

 scientific data, for the scientific information that can be obtained 

 with aircraft is limited. 



Structural Features Adapting an Airplane 

 TO Arctic Flying 



Let us consider the airplane as an instrument alone. It is, of 

 course, not so easy to operate in extremely cold weather as it is in 

 warmer temperatures, but it is nevertheless feasible and practicable 

 to do so. The mechanic must know his business, and great attention 

 must be given to mechanical details. 



The air-cooled motor seems preferable for Arctic use. If this 

 type of cooling is used, there is no danger of a forced landing from a 

 water leak in the radiator and there is no water to freeze or to drain 

 from the engine at the end of each flight. In case of a forced landing 

 on snow in the spring on account of engine trouble that could not be 

 repaired immediately (if the plane is not "cracked up") the water 

 would have to be drained. There would then arise the difficulty of 

 melting the snow or ice to refill the radiator, with the consequent ex- 

 penditure of precious fuel and time. Bad weather might set in during 

 the delay, with possibly tragical results. 



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