The team of five airmen and photographers on journey in Peru in 1933 were on their way to Cuzco, Peru, in search of ruins of the ancient Chimus civilization. Their planes, the Washington and the Lima, got separated. Robert Shipee, the author of our story in the January, 1933, issue of the National Geographic Magazine, Air Adventures in Peru, Cruising Among Andean Peaks, Pilots and Cameramen Discover Wondrous Works of an Ancient People, will tell us what happened next.
Mr. Shippee was in the Lima. This plane continued on to Cuzco. A great crowd had assembled on the runway (planes were strictly a novelty in most of the world back then!). Bands were playing. By now, the flyers knew to turn off the engine as soon as the plane landed so the propeller would stop turning by the time they reached the crowd; then no one would be hurt! They inquired about the Washington and were told that the officials did not know two planes were coming and had not heard about the other.
After an hour of waiting, Mr. Shippee and the crew couldn't stand not knowing what had happened and went back in the air to try to return to where they last saw the Washington. After three hours in the air without success of sighting the other plane, they returned to Cuzco. Meanwhile, officials there telegraphed (their modern way of communicating in that era!) a wide area of Peru.
By 11 p.m., the Washington was found in the remote village of Andahuaylas, way off course with the plane's left wing damaged on a forced landing. Now, in 1933, there was NO FLYING AT NIGHT. The next morning the Lima took off with extra gasoline and repair supplies, and flew to Andahuaylas.
The repairs were finished just before it became dark. "With nightfall, the temperature dropped to a few degrees above zero. The planes were parked as close together as possible. Cameras and gas cans were piled into a barricade against the swirling wind. We had ponchos and light flying suits, yet we were cold almost beyond endurance," (p. 110).
In the morning, the Lima and crew flew back to Cuzco. When it landed, it blew out a tire. The Washington had a perilous trip back with one wing three feet shorter than the other due to repairs. The flyers set out to fix the flat tire. The spare inner tube they had brought along proved to be too big to put into the tire! So, they stuffed the tire with rope! These early pilots were Masters of Improvisation!!
The next time they took off in the Lima, the repaired tire slowed down the plane, then disintegrated! "The ship lifted for a few feet then squashed sickeningly. Trying to hurdle a ditch, the wheels struck its banks. There was a terrific, smashing jar. The plane bounded 20 or 30 feet into the air. . . We braced ourselves for the expected crash. . . Choking in the dust that filled the cabin, Hay and I felt for injuries. My right elbow was bruised; Hay had a bump on his forehead where it had struck the windshield. Otherwise we were unhurt. It was a miracle!" (p. 115).
The Lima was beyond repair and was put on a train to be shipped to the United States. Mr. Shippee returned to America while the Washington, after extensive repairs, flew several more photographing trips. Of particular note was the ruins of Machu Picchu. "The site of Machu Picchu is magnificent, "above a stupendous canyon whose rim is more than a mile above the river, whose precipices are frequently a thousand feet sheer." It is disappointing to the aerial observer that the forest growth has so covered the ruins since they were cleared away in 1912." Mr. Shippee ends the article, "Adios, now to Cuzco. We had yet one more adventure ahead of us - exploring the Colca Valley," (p. 120). We will look forward to another article describing this trip!
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