Antarctica's first airplane found.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100102/sc_ ... tica_plane

Very interesting read. Thanks for posting the link.

Eric

I wonder if density altitude is what did in that first flight? I don't think they knew about it back then. it was about that same era when the US army was chasing Pancho Villa with some jennys and ended up crashing about five of them in the mountains in Mexico. All they had on that mission. I think that's what I heard anyhow.

tcj wrote:I wonder if density altitude is what did in that first flight? I don't think they knew about it back then. it was about that same era when the US army was chasing Pancho Villa with some jennys and ended up crashing about five of them in the mountains in Mexico. All they had on that mission. I think that's what I heard anyhow.

Density altitude? First flight? You didn't even read the article! It never flew. It was strafed by a Jap Zero before it ever got unloaded off the ship, then the ship went down when it was crushed in the ice. Due to the extreme cold, the aircraft is well preserved, and after drying it out, they hope to have it airworthy by spring.

kevbert....which article did YOU read?? Here's the quote from THAT article: "The plane crashed in a demonstration flight in October that year, weeks before Mawson was due to set sail. No one was hurt, but the wings were damaged. With no time for repairs, Mawson removed the wings and took the rest of the plane, aiming to use it as a flightless "air tractor" to haul equipment across the ice"

MTV

kevbert said:

Density altitude? First flight? You didn't even read the article!

I was just wondering about the DA being that there are some very high elevations in Antarctica. Even with the cold temperatures there the DA could be higher than the elevation above MSL. The article did say it crashed on a demonstration flight. Maybe it wasn't the first.

I guess I think about DA a lot because I fly a 52 horse power airplane. It is very sensitive to changes in DA.

The first flight took place in Australia, not Antarctica. Here's the quote: "Mawson's dream of staging the first human flight over the Antarctic ice cap, less than a decade after the Wright brothers made the first powered flight, was shattered even before his expedition sailed for the Antarctic from Australia in late 1911.

The plane crashed in a demonstration flight in October that year, weeks before Mawson was due to set sail."

MTV

mtv wrote:The first flight took place in Australia, not Antarctica. Here's the quote: "Mawson's dream of staging the first human flight over the Antarctic ice cap, less than a decade after the Wright brothers made the first powered flight, was shattered even before his expedition sailed for the Antarctic from Australia in late 1911.

The plane crashed in a demonstration flight in October that year, weeks before Mawson was due to set sail."

MTV

Okay, I didn't understand it crashed in Australia. I figured the plane must have been shipped ahead of the expedition and crashed in Antarctica before the expedition arrived. Your understanding makes more sense.

kevbert wrote: It was strafed by a Jap Zero before it ever got unloaded off the ship

Zeros were pretty rare in 1911.

mtv wrote:kevbert....which article did YOU read?? Here's the quote from THAT article: "The plane crashed in a demonstration flight in October that year, weeks before Mawson was due to set sail. No one was hurt, but the wings were damaged. With no time for repairs, Mawson removed the wings and took the rest of the plane, aiming to use it as a flightless "air tractor" to haul equipment across the ice"

MTV

I was just having some fun after it occurred to me that half the people would never go read the article!

Cute...

MTV

Damn, I was really thinking I missed something HUGE. good one...

KB

Looks like the Zeros really did a job on it.

http://www.aero-news.net/images/content ... oplane.jpg