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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0504.PDF
244 FLIGHT. MARCH 7, I93- view ; every one of the great peaks could be seen by an ex-mountaineer quick to identify old friends. I was prepared to enjoy navigation work during our flight to Venice, and I may say at once that I did not consider it difficult, for on a fine day it is easy to steer a true course over mountainous country like Switzerland and the Tyrol. The vastntss of the great natural features, valley-systems, rivers, mountain-ranges, lakes and so forth renders inter pretation of the map easy. In North Italy the lakes are of great use on a west-east or east-west course, as we shall see later. So far, so good ; but if visibility becomes bad this map-game quickly loses its value and charm, and, failing a compass course, a very unpleasant situation may arise, and that rapidly. And now to make use of notes harvested during the flight: October 22: we motor from Oberhofen on the lake of Thun to Belp, a few miles out cf Berne in the Aare valley. We stop at the aerodrome of Alpar Bern, where there is a flying club of which we are members. We take off at 10.40 a.m. on a perfect day and turn not towards the lake of Thun but across the Aare and out of its valley towards the Brienser-Rothorn, rising for miles continuously. As we top that mountain (with its high hotel) we have a fine downlook on to the greenish-blue Lake of Brienz and the town of that name, and once more catch sight of the Aare River showing like a bright ribbon far away up the Haslithal towards Meiringen. On our left are the blue Lake of Sarnen and the Statten See of the Lake of Lucerne, with just a glimpse of distant Lucerne itself veiled in mist. The Jungfrau massif, the Wetterhcrn, Schreckhorn, and Finsteraarhorn form a grand background to the Lake of Brienz. We are soon at about 10,000 ft. with our old friend Titlis Mountain on our left—we were just above his clcud- wreathed crags exploring last May. Beneath us is what Norsemen used to call the "Hundred-headed Grand mother," i.e., a waste of peaks, ridges and icefields too numerous to mention, and always we are climbing. The Italian Frontier Ah! there to the right is Andermatt and the beginning of the St. Gothard Pass ; all the valley is under snow save a patch of green near Andermatt. We are soon crossing the Oberalp Pass and can sight, in the canton of Grisons, Disentis and the still green valley of the Vorder Rhine. We are now at about 14,000 ft., and can see the Lukmanier Pass, familiar in my motoring tours, which leads from Disentis down to the canton Ticino and Bellinzona. We seem hardly moving above a world of ice-giants, though travelling, in fact, at over 100 m.p.h. At 14,600 ft. we are looking down on the Bernardino and Spliigen Passes ; we can see Spliigen village and the Italian custom house clearly. Anon we follow the line traced by the Julier Pass, cross the Engadine, and swing to the left above the high mountains bounding that valley. At 15,300 ft. we pass over the Bernina and Piz Palu, respec tively 13,295 and 12,830 ft. high, both very near the Italo- Swiss frontier. But neither here nor at any near point are we allowed to cross that frontier. Prohibited areas! Examine the map and you will note the extent to which this abuse of " state rights" has been pressed. Flying out of Switzerland into Italy, one may use the Sirnplon and Chiasso corridors: ignoring these, one must pass to Austrian Innsbruck and reach Italian Bolzano and Trento by the Brenner Pass end Adige valley. On the French-Italian frontier French and Italians combine to exclude the tourist from the Alps ; he has to make use of the narrow corridor, St. Michel de Maurienne-Turin. 'Tis a mad wotld, my masters! How long shall we have to wait for that federation of European States which will end this barbaric nonsense? Cameras, again, while permitted in Switzerland, are not to be used in France and Italy; and this is the reason why I have to omit adequate illustration of this article. But to continue: we may not reduce our mileage at this point by making for the Stelvio Pass and thence to Merano, nor may we descend to Lake Como by the Val- ^nar' . GERMANY • BERNE ^^ C AUSTRIA EEAUFOCT STMICHEI EMBOLI!! The prohibited area mentioned by the author of this article. Note the four narrow "corridors." teliina; so we keep a course more or less parallel to the lie of the Engadine valley, noting St. Moritz, Celerina, Sama- den, Zuoz and Zernez as we go. At the highest poir.t reached in this flight (15,600 ft.) we are over the Ofen Pass, and very soon after cross the Val Venosta. Leaving Martinsbruck (Swiss frontier) on our left, we cut across mountain masses till we perceive, having dropped to 15,000 ft., a vision of extreme beauty—Innsbruck in the Valley of the Inn. We spiral down to about 2,000 ft. over the town (which is some 1,800 ft. above sea-level) and enjoy a good view of the old castle, aerodrome and neigh bourhood. Then we leave the Inn valley for the famous Brenner Pass, hardly 5,000 ft. high, through which we are to descend into Italy. To the left, bare, fantastically shaped Dolomite peaks are to be seen. We cross and are above a superb valley which at Bolzano joins another valley leading from Merano which connects with the Ofen Pass, We are now in the Upper Adige valley, and remain so till we reach Trento, where a descent is made in search of petrol. There is none! We take off from the rough- surfaced aerodrome in some doubt as to whether we shall reach Venice in one hop. We climb out of the valle; across high rolling uplands eastward, and in half an hour the Venetian plain is below us ; we note the rivers Bret* and Piave and the town of Treviso; behind the Piave the Dolomites show clearly. On this monotonously chequered plain the landing possibilities seem few and bad. An now mudflats—the lagcon—the railway causeway am Venice! A Deserted Lido We float over the city, enjoying a wonderful vie* the canals, and head for the Lido, making a circuit;o the now deserted bathing huts and the training-ship icw and lo! the aerodrome! We touch grass after a « minute flight from Trento, having covered 630 kilom Formalities settled, we tea* ol in all since we left Belp. A very a steamer for the Hotel Danieli, Venice. picturesque journey closes well with my first visi unique city. . g ^ We leave Venice at 1.50 p.m. next day. circnn0 ^ above the aerodrome before crossing the Iagoon- ^ bility is not good—clouds and mist are worseninSDa55ing rise to about 9,000 ft. over the mainland, after P^ over Padua and Vicenza, as lines of ragged ridg Lake ( The mountain: We cross the deep Adige valley and Lak Garda »« ^ head, then lakes Idro and Iseo. nue U»WU»- north still show clearly, but visibility to the s south-west is poor. I
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