EXPLORATION BY AIRCRAFT 387 



ditions permit flying, and so the scientist could not so obtain his com- 

 plete temperature data. For example, temperatures over the Green- 

 land ice cap could be procured during the flying months with com- 

 parative ease, over areas that would take great and long effort on the 

 part of the foot traveler. The foot traveler's hardships might be 

 severe, but his data would be more complete. 



Many scientists think that there is land yet to be found in the 

 Arctic Sea. All agree that if unknown land is there it cannot be of 

 any great size. If land be there it will probably be located by means 

 of aircraft. The location of the land certainly seems to be the function 

 of aircraft. Then if the expedition commander is an enthusiastic 

 explorer, as well as being an aviator, he will attempt to map and in- 

 vestigate scientifically the new land. He would probably have to 

 spend the winter at his main base and start out early in the spring for 

 the new land. It would be possible to form an advanced base by air- 

 plane there for scientific investigation, and the scientists could be 

 taken by air to the base. But this might be extremely hazardous 

 with our present knowledge of landing in the Arctic, and it would seem 

 wiser to leave the major part of the scientific work to the explorer 

 who uses dog teams. ^ 



I believe that for exploration work in the Arctic an expedition that 

 combined dog teams and aircraft would be most effective. If there 

 are no landing places at the advanced dog-team base, food could be 

 dropped from the aircraft without landing. With a few flights of a 

 large plane, enough food could be left to last the sledging party many 

 months. The sledging parties could then travel faster, as they need 

 carry only light loads. 



In the case of finding and exploring an island in the Arctic, the air- 

 planes could act as scouts — fly out in the summer months and locate 

 the island, and then the sledging parties, assisted by the airplanes, 

 could start out in the early spring for the thorough investigation of 

 the land. It would be an easy matter to spend the winter with the 

 food and equipment that could be supplied by the airplanes. 



Upon arrival at the island, the sledging party could select a suit- 

 able landing place, and mapping could then be done from the plane 

 with the automatic mapping camera. 



Relative Merits of Airships and Airplanes for 

 Arctic Exploration 



The airship could, of course, be used, but it would appear to be 

 practicable to use it only during the months that are free from strong 



1 Several important accounts of scientific exploration in the various parts of the Arctic and Ant- 

 arctic by the methods hitherto used have been published in the series "Practical Hints to Scientific 

 Travellers" edited by H. A. Brouwer (W. Werenskiold on the polar regions in general, A. Hoel on 

 Spitsbergen, O. Holtedahl on Novaya Zemlya, O. B. B0ggild on Greenland, in Vol. 2, The Hague, 192s; 

 Griffith Taylor on Antarctica in Vol. 4, The Hague, 1926). — Edit. Note. 



