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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0027.PDF
FLIGHT, JANUARY 11, 1934 HAPPY LANDINGS—PERHAPS ! An Air-France airliner flying over Rio de Janeiro. As may be seen, the surrounding country is not particularly inviting. second highest range of mountains in the world may be readily appreciated. The aeroplanes must be capable of flying up to a height of six or seven thousand metres. In the Andes sudden storms are frequent, and the lowest pass in these regions, the Pass of Uspallata, is 4,000 metres high. For safety, therefore, it is necessary to rise above the topmost peaks and surmount the clouds and the storms. Also there are the perilous descending cur- rents found in all very high mountain ranges. Mermoz, one of the most renowned of the company's pilots, made a preliminary reconnaissance of the different passes of the Andes a few months before the Chilean service was opened. He was caught in an irresistible downward current and made a forced landing on an icefield in the frozen wastes of the Andes far beyond the reach of civilisation. There he remained with his mechanic in a temperature of 36 degrees F. below freezing point until two days later when, having repaired his machine, he was able finally to take off. He returned safely with his companion to Buenos Aires and reported to the company that it was dangerous to fly low over the mountains. From Toulouse to Santiago de Chile the 'planes fly over three Continents and cross the territory of six nations. Three distinct types of aeroplane are required. For, apart from the fact that the ocean journey must still be accomplished by steamer, it would indeed be impossible for any single machine to make the whole journey, owing to the enormous variations of climate. Thus when flying low over the Sahara desert the tem- perature is often more than 120 deg. F. in the shade (if there were any shade), while far above the Andes the mercury drops to — 60 deg. F. In the tropical rainstorms of the Brazilian coast metal propellers had to be sub- stituted for the original wooden ones. It was found that the heavy raindrops continually striking the wooden propellers threatened to destroy them and provoke disaster. For each main stage of the journey a special type oi machine suitable to the peculiar conditions must be used. In Brazil, too, the dense tropical vegetation of the virgin forest had to be removed to provide landing grounds, and almost as soon as it was cut away it began to grow again. The obstacles confronting these pioneers of the air were not limited, however, to climatic adversity. Flying over the Spanish Colony of Rio de Oro the 'planes were frequently fired at by the fierce tribesmen of the desert. It was in June, 1928, that the pilot Reine, accom- panied by his engineer, was compelled by fog to make a forced landing on the sands of Rio de Oro. They were both captured by the Moors and held as prisoners for four months, during which time they suffered extreme hard- ship. Finally the company obtained their release through the intervention of the French and Spanish Governments. This incident created a delicate situation between France and Spain; for the Frenchmen felt, not without justification, THE ARC-EN-CIEL : The three-engined Couzinet 70 monoplane, which has been designed for the Atlantic section of the route, in place of the fast steamers. 29 ^ T" •-^•••":: •:::--:
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