ALPINE AIR EXPLOIT

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2339, 8 October 1921, Page 4

ALPINE AIR EXPLOIT

LANDING ON MONT BLANC,

AIRMAN’S HAZARDOUS

FLIGHT.

A thrilling feat has been successfully performed by a Swiss airman M. Dura four, by flying from Lausanne to the summit ridge of Mont Blanc—the highest mountain in Europe —and landing on the Dome du Gouter, at the height of about 14,000 ft. It is a narrow shoulder which this summer is principally composed of ice, with terrific de7 scents on either side.

Not only did he land safely, but he also made a most hazardous ascent from the ridge, though the point from which he had to take off slopes steeply, and for some seconds (here was a doubt whether his machine would not go hurtling into the abyss below.

It is a performance which in its daring compares with the carliei pioneer feats. Describing his experiences, Durafour said, on his arrival at Chamonix :—“Weather conditions being perfect this morning at four o’clock I decided not to await a signal from Chamonix, but to start right away. “An hour after leaving Lausanne I had risen 15,000ft.j at which altitude I circled twice round the summit of Mont Blanc, looking for a landing place. The motor was running superbly, but the danger of airpockets was great. I steered my Caudron toward a snowficld, and decided to land, or perish in the attempt. The plane was caught by an eddy and flung violently toward a deep crevasse. With great difficulty I was able to regain control just in time. A few seconds later I alighted on the snowficld as gently as if it were an aerodrome. My plane was lilted only with ordinary wheels. “Scarcely had I landed when the secretary of the French Alpine Club arrived, took photographs, and gave me a certificate of my exploit. A number of friends, including several photographers, who had climbed the mountain in anticipation of my attempt, also had come to greet me. “The prospect of takng off again terrified me. With my engine at full speed, 1 tore down the steep ice slope, expecting every moment to be engulfed in one of the crevasses that covered the slope. Then, with a lurch, the machine fell, rather than flew, into an abyss, against the ic,\ sides of which I expected every minute to crash. But, with an effort, the Caudron righted herself, plunged into space, and was safe. “Soon afterwards I landed at Chamonix, and my dream of conquering Mont Blanc was realised. But not for a million francs would I attempt such a flight again.”