rises to some 21,000 feet. The best possible account of this wonderful achievement is that given to us by the flier himself:

"At last I was to get a bird's-eye view of the peaks upon which I had so often gazed from the track of my airdrome. The plane mounted into space for a time. I had not yet looked downward. I had to watch my altimeter, my compass, the regular throbs of the oil engine, and the revolutions of the motor. I had to change the carburization continually and regulate the motor; and then, when my altimeter had passed 17,000 feet, I looked downward.

"I was in an unknown world. The mountain range stood out wonderfully clear; everywhere were canyons, immense black-mouthed valleys, gentle foothills, and icy slopes. At the left Tupungato rose near me to my own height, or perhaps higher, like an enormous skyscraper, a magnificent yet graceful tower rearing itself toward heaven. On one side it had a long, gradual, almost horizontal slope, like a palm of the hand, white and frozen, but hospitable, inviting me to alight and linger. But the impression was fleeting. I was going 180 or 190 kilometers an hour, hence the scenery altered rapidly. A moment later I crossed the frontier. My country was behind me; before me lay the sister nation and triumph-my slight but longed-for victory.

"At that moment the motor missed and nearly stopped. I guessed what was the matter: The automatic engine was not working and the gasoline could not reach the carburetor. I worked an instant and the engine and rotary started up again before the change had affected the apparatus. I had to land. So I lessened the supply of gas slightly and began to descend slowly. The needle, which had reached a maximum of 17,300 feet, gradually lowered. Then began the battle, which lasted perhaps three or four minutes. The plane seemed to be crazy. That morning there had been a windstorm on the Argentine side. Perhaps that was the result of the cyclone. Then-calm again. And there in the distance amongst the far-away foothills, insignificant when contrasted with the huge bulks I had just left, rose the outline of Mendoza, beyond the great plain, covered by a heavy veil of clouds.

"Ten minutes later I was over the historic city. I came to ground a little worn, my hands knotted from the cold, still rather uncomfortable from the rarity of the atmosphere in the heights, as I had not carried oxygen with me. I sprang to the ground and experienced a new, awesome emotion: I had realized the fulfillment of my dream-I had crossed the Andes."

At that time, Lieutenant Godoy expressed the opinion that the establishment of regular trans-Andean airplane services between Argentina and Chile was a "comparatively easy" task. That cer

tainly was not the case at the time of his flight, but the passage of a few years has proven that he was right.

During April, 1919, another Chilean airman, Lieut. Armando Cortinez, made the first Andean aerial round trip-Santiago-MendozaSantiago, with a stop of several days at Mendoza.

New glory was given to Argentine aviation in March, 1920, by Captains Parodi and Zanni, of the national army, and Naval Lieut. Marcos Zar. Parodi and Zanni left Los Tamarindos airdrome near Mendoza (the same field from which Newbery sailed to his death) on the 9th of that month, at 5.55 a. m. After attaining a height of 12,000 feet, and on reaching the Tupungato at 7 a. m., Parodi observed that Zanni's airplane had disappeared. He returned to the starting point where, without landing, he learned that motor trouble had compelled Zanni to return to Los Tamarindos. Parodi flew again toward the mountains and an hour later was at Tupungato at an elevation of 15,500 feet. He then turned toward Santiago and appeared over that city at an altitude of 9,300 feet. The trip from Mendoza to the Chilean capital was made in three and a half hours, at the rate of about 50 miles an hour. After manoeuvering over Santiago, Parodi turned back toward his starting point, crossed the Andes again, and landed at Los Tamarindos at 10.30 a. m. The round trip covered a distance of 275 miles and was made at an average altitude of 18,600 feet. The average velocity on the return trip was 125 miles an hour.

Captain Zanni, using the same machine employed by Captain Parodi, left Los Tamarindos early in the morning of March 16. He crossed the Andes twice, rising to heights of more than 18,000 feet, flew over Santiago and three and a half hours later was back at his home airdrome.

On the same day that Captain Zanni was conquering the Andes and paying a visit to the Chilean capital, Naval Lieutenant Zar completed the first aerial voyage ever made between Buenos Aires and Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. This trip, which was carried out in three sections, required 12 hours and was made in a hydroplane, following the river courses, a distance of some 780 miles.

Before we leave the aerial trail blazers of the Andes, a tribute should be paid to the Chilean civilian flier Clodomiro Figueroa, who had attempted the crossing as early as 1913. At that time a public subscription was started to buy him a machine sufficiently powerful for his undertaking, but the World War intervened, and it was not until 1921 that he finally obtained the airplane he had so long desired. In September of that year he took off from Santiago and landed safely in Mendoza, carrying, during his flight, the first air mail to go from Chile to Argentina.

The first flight which was ever made between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires can truly be classed as epoch-making. This journey

had been unsuccessfully attempted by several aviators and had already cost two lives when the Brazilian pilot Edú Chaves began it on the morning of the December 25, 1920. As the distance to be covered was more than 1,840 miles and the airplane's fuel supply sufficient for only five and a half hours, three stops had to be made en route. These were carried out with remarkable precision, and on the afternoon of the 29th Chaves landed at El Palomar airdrome in Buenos Aires. A glance at the map is all one needs to understand the importance of his feat. The regions he traversed, besides being at that time a veritable terra incognita for airmen, are made up of mountains, forests, and other natural enemies of atmospheric peace.

THE SCADTA AIRPORT, BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA

This is the headquarters at Barranquilla of the first successful commercial air line in the world, which at the present time covers a route of nearly 3,000 miles.

An outstanding example of tenacity in the face of adverse conditions was given by the Argentine civilian flier E. M. Hearne, who in February of 1921 made a trip from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires. On December 19, 1920, Hearne left El Palomar airdrome, near Buenos Aires. He flew for four hours, landed to refuel, and took off again.

Then his troubles began: Forced landings on rough ground, during which the aviator was lucky to escape with only a broken tail skid or a twisted axle. Encounters with dense fogs and storms, while flying over a region of virgin forests, rugged mountains, and rough hills, where a landing was extremely dangerous or entirely out of the question.

Once a storm compelled Hearne to come down on what seemed to be the only clear space in sight-a field occupied by ants whose mounds are as hard as stone and rise to a height of 4 or 5 feet. He landed, more or less successfully, but later on, when attempting to take off, collided with two ant hills and severely damaged his plane. Two days' hard work on the part of the pilot and his mechanic repaired the machine, but lacking plans and measurements, the accuracy of their work left much to be desired. Nevertheless, Hearne took off, and then the inevitable happened the fuselage snapped at an altitude of 160 feet, and it was only by a miracle that the two men escaped with their lives.

The journey to Rio was completed by train, and there a new machine was purchased. In this the journey to Buenos Aires was begun.

Three consecutive storms, which required climbing to a height of 18,000 feet, were overcome, but a fourth, during which the pilot reached 19,000 feet only to find that an additional rise of several thousand feet would be required to clear the storm, made a landing imperative, as he carried no oxygen for an even higher climb. The landing, fortunately, was successfully accomplished on a small cornfield surrounded by high hills.

After several adventures, including first-hand acquaintance with a cyclone that played havoc with the surrounding trees, and a meeting with an air-minded cobra, assistance finally came to Hearne, who resumed his travels and reached Buenos Aires by the air route on February 2, 1921.

Chaves had in the meantime completed his flight from Rio to Buenos Aires, so that the honor of being the first to accomplish this trip was denied Hearne. But he undoubtedly ranks as one of the pluckiest and most tenacious men who ever undertook it.

Great interest in aviation has existed in Mexico ever since the days when fliers were wont to say that being the oldest pilot on the force might be preferable to ranking as the best.

In November, 1915, an aviation department was created in the Mexican War Office, and a military airdrome and flying school established. From that time on, Mexico has been training its own pilots.

An aviation factory was soon added to the flying school, and in a short time it progressed from the construction of parts to the design of airplane types especially suited to conditions in the country, and then to the manufacture of these machines, including the engines.

As early as 1918 Mexico was building its own airplanes. One of the first aeronautical expositions held in Latin America was inaugurated in Mexico City on September 15, 1920. This exhibit was made up mostly of the products of the national aeronautical industry.

Mexican airmen have a lengthy and brilliant record of achievements, not only in flights within their own country but also in voyages to the Caribbean Zone and the United States.

In June, 1928, Captain Carranza made his wonderful but ill-fated flight to Washington, D. C. During August and September of that same year, Colonel Fierro, one of Mexico's veterans of the air, known to his colleagues as "Old Man" Fierro, made a 5,000-mile tour of Cuba, Guatemala, San Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama, beginning and ending in Mexico City.

The Latin American countries have always shown great interest in aerial developments, and clubs and societies for the promotion of aviation have existed in all of them for many years. Besides, all countries have endeavored to establish their own schools and train their own pilots.

In these nations, airplanes have been employed for many purposes. Ranch owners use them as a means of transportation to their properties. Exploration flights have been made over trackless wildernesses and mountains. Pay rolls, medicines, and supplies are carried to oil fields, mines, and settlements in isolated districts.

As has already been said, a Latin American nation was the first in the world to have a successful commercial airway. This line, the "Scadta" (Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos), was established in December, 1919, at Barranquilla, Colombia, and has increased its services from 2,688 miles flown in 1920 to more than 800,000 flown in 1930.

To-day, there are more than 20 aviation companies operating in Latin America, with a network of aerial routes that covers more than 10,000 miles.

A PAN AMERICAN WINTER INSTITUTE IN FLORIDA

A

NEW privilege is offered this year to those who spend the months of January, February, and March in the delightful city of Miami, be they residents, northerners fleeing snow and cold, or regular students in the University of Miami. That institution, which since its inception has been a leader in the field of Latin American studies, will this year hold for the first time a Pan American Winter Institute, directed by Dr. Víctor Andrés Belaúnde, an eminent authority on Pan American affairs.

The curriculum of the Institute is arranged in two periods of five weeks each, beginning on January 9, 1933. The half terms are planned to accommodate those who will be in the city for only part of the winter.