Polar Mission

In suburban Montreal last week mechanics were outfitting a sturdy plane for a special mission. The plane, a type designed for use in Canada's own North country, had been ordered by Sir Miles Clifford, governor of the Falkland Islands. It would stand by as part of the plan to rescue eleven men marooned on Stonington Island inside the Antarctic Circle.

One of several scientific teams operated by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, the men have been on Stonington since early 1947. Their supply ship, the John Biscoe, left them there--with 100 huskies and a three-year food supply--for a two-year stint of charting unmapped icebound wastes and making geological, meteorological and cold-weather tests.

Last March, when the John Biscoe was turned back by "impenetrable ice packs," the men resigned themselves to more work. To ease the strain, the British Broadcasting Corp. beamed special news and entertainment programs their way. The best news came from Sir Miles, who radioed that when the polar summer came in December, the John Biscoe would make another attempt to break through; if it failed, the expedition could expect a pickup by plane.

For this job, Canadian Car & Foundry Co., Ltd. was fitting a single-engined Norseman, with $20,000 worth of extras: hydraulically operated ski-wheels plus floats, spare fuel tank, radio altimeter and a special compass for polar navigation. At month's end the plane will be tested, then dismantled, crated and shipped to the Falkland Islands.

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