Interview of Fred L. Austin by Brian Shoemaker
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Date
2005-07-29T19:52:55Z
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program
Abstract
Fred Austin and Harrison Finch, pilots for Operation Polecat (also known as the Rockwell Polar Flight), were the first men to fly around the world via the Poles. Austin was trained in a single-engine bi-plane in Trona, California, near the Mojave Desert. He took over his instructors business for a few years after his initial licensure and then became employed by Catalina Airlines. Two years later he moved on to a co-pilot job with TWA, and in 1942 was promoted to captain. In 1947 he moved to the TWA International Division and flew DC-4s. In 1948 the airline purchased Lockheed Constellations and Austin flew this style of aircraft for three years. He spent time as the Director of Operations for TWA in New York and in 1959 became the chief pilot of TWA in Los Angeles, where he stayed until his retirement in 1967. During his time as chief pilot he flew Constellations and 707s.
In 1943 Austin flew a TWA flight through Alaska and up to the Aleutian Islands. He also spent a summer flying servicemen to Nome and other Alaskan locations, including the Aleutians, during the conflict with Japan. He did not come under fire during these flights.
In 1964, Austin and his TWA associate Harrison Finch attended an Explorers Club meeting. Lowell Thomas, President of the Explorers Club, explained that all flights in the lower atmosphere had been done, which Austin disagreed with. He felt that there were two remaining flights- flying over both Poles and flying around the world without refueling. This is where the idea for Operation Polecat began. Austin and Finch worked for a year to gather money and supplies. Bob Prescott, owner of the Flying Tiger line of airplanes, leased the men a 707B, the latest model of the 707 at the time. John DuBoise, a fellow Explorer’s Club member, got the men in contact with Colonel Rockwell, chairman of Rockwell Manufacturing Company, and the Colonel’s son Al. They agreed to finance the flight, paying $250,000.
Scientific experimentation was of interest to Austin and Finch. The pilots carried 27 experiments on the flight, one of which was the first inertial navigation system sponsored by the Litton Corporation. Other experiments included atmospheric composition studied by Navy Captain Newt Laurent, head of the United States Weather Bureau, cosmic radiation studied by Dr. Serge Korff, Chief Scientist for the flight and specialist in cosmic radiation at Ormby University, and celestial navigation for the use of astronauts in space studied by Loren DeGroot of the Waynes Navigation Company. Colonel Rockwell, age 72, also joined them on the flight.
The flying range of the aircraft had to be extended before the trip. Joe Shurtsinger, a friend of Mr. Austin, was working on the construction of flexible fuel tanks for the military in Pasadena. Shurtsinger made portable fuel tanks for the flight out of fabric, tied down with straps (also known as bladders). In addition, he constructed two 2000-gallon tanks for a total of 4000 available gallons of fuel.
27 people were taken as passengers on the flight, along with 5 pilots, all captains. The pilots included Captain Bob Buck of TWA and Jim Gannet, a test pilot at Boeing. According to Austin, there were a total of three engineers and three navigators. John Larsen of TWA was the chief navigator and Goody Lyons of TWA handled clearances for the flight.
The flight route was as follows: Burbank to Palm Springs to Honolulu, which was the official starting point. The flight path was to stay as close to the zero and 180-degree meridian as possible, flying at 37,000 feet, from Honolulu to the North Pole to London. Because of restricted runways at Heathrow Airport, the crew stopped in Lisbon to refuel, then flew on from Lisbon to Buenos Aires, south over Chile, and then over the Antarctic. They circled the South Pole four times, then flew on to Christchurch, New Zealand. Bernt Balchen, who had flown Byrd over the South Pole years before was on board as a passenger and was brought into the cockpit during their circling pattern to repeat the experience. Admiral Fred Bacudas, the then current Commanding Officer of the Antarctic, met the flight at Christchurch. The flight then returned to Honolulu to complete it’s around the world trip.
The inertial navigation system did not have any problems flying over the Poles, but did need to be kept on in order for the gyros to continue rotating. The Litton system was operated on the flight by Peter Meskita, Dr. Burendahl, and Jim________. The voice communication system was arranged through Collins Radio out of Cedar Rapids. The crew broadcast to headquarters and was then patched through to the telephone system, which allowed them to use their radios in the same capacity as a home telephone. This system of communication became known as single side band. John DeMuth, an operator from Collins, did his yeoman service on the flight. By 1966 there was single side band communication in nearly all United States aircraft.
Dave Saunders, Austin’s attorney, set up the Geo-Atmos Explorations Corporation which dealt with money coming in and the publicity and liabilities surrounding the flight. Bunny Loeb, publisher of the New York Times, sent two reporters to handle publicity interviews. Aviation magazines and newspapers carried the story. Dr. Korff coordinated the scientific report of the Rockwell Polar Flight.
Upon return Austin continued to work as a chief pilot for TWA until his retirement in 1967. After his retirement from TWA, Austin became the President of Short Brothers, USA. At that time, Short Brothers were the oldest manufacturers of aircraft, having built airplanes for the Wright Brothers in 1906. They were based in Belfast and were the largest employer in Northern Ireland. Sir Philip Foreman was the managing Director. Austin assisted in the design and FAA approval of the Shorts 330, later the Shorts 360, a new 30 passenger commuter plane. During his time with the company, 150 of the aircraft were sold. Austin retired from Short Brothers at the age of 70, at which time he moved to Reno, Nevada where he had lived, at the time of the interview, for 12 years.
Major Topics
Operation Polecat/ Rockwell Polar Flight
Explorers Club
First inertial navigation system
First single side band radio communication system
Short Brothers, Incorporated
Models of aircraft flown at this time (707, 707B, D-C4s, Lockheed Constellations)
Description
Harrison Finch, pilot on the Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 1, 4-6, 9-10, 19
Lowell Thomas, President of the Explorer’s Club, pp. 4
Bob Prescott, owner of the Flying Tiger line of airplanes, pp.5
Colonel Rockwell, chairman of Rockwell Manufacturing Company, pp. 5, 7
Dr. Serge Korff, Chief Scientist for the Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 6, 22-23
Sir Philip Foreman, Managing Director, Short Brothers Incorporated, pp. 24
Navy Captain Newt Laurent, head of the United States Weather Bureau, pp. 6
Loren DeGroot, scientist, pp. 6
Captain Bob Buck, pilot on the Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 9
Jim Gannett, pilot on the Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 9
John Larsen, Chief Navigator for the Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 10
Goody Lyons, Communicator (in charge of clearances) for the Rockwell Arctic Flight,
pp. 11
Bernt Balchen, pilot for Byrd, passenger on Rockwell Arctic Flight, pp. 12-13
Peter Meskita, inertial navigation scientist, pp. 16
Dr. Burendahl, inertial navigation scientist, pp. 16
Admiral Fred Bacudas, Commanding Officer of the Antarctic, pp. 16-17
John DeMuth, Collins radio systems operator, pp. 18
Dave Saunders, Austin’s attorney, pp. 19-20
Bunny Loeb, New York Times publisher, pp. 20
The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Fred_Austin.mp3
The media can be accessed here: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/Fred_Austin.mp3