Todas las historias antiguas que rodean al Everest están rodeadas de cierta mística y ésta no iba a ser menos. Hablamos, en este caso, de la primera expedición aérea que logró sobrevolar la cima de la montaña más alta del mundo (8.848,86 metros), y lo hacemos precisamente hoy porque se cumplen 92 años de aquella hazaña, que protagonizaron en primera persona David McIntyre y Douglas-Douglas Hamilton como pilotos.
Fue, cómo no, una expedición británica la que se propuso afrontar tan extraordinario reto. Cabe recordar que por aquel entonces no existían las cabinas presurizadas así que había que ‘sobrevivir’ a unas condiciones extremas de viento y frío.
Antes de la Primera Guerra Mundial (1914-1918), las aeronaves estaban limitadas a altitudes inferiores a unos 10.000 pies (3.000 metros) así que la sola idea de alcanzar los 9.000 metros apenas 15 años después era casi un suicidio.
Esto no frenó a Douglas Douglas-Hamilton -Lord Clydesdale-, decimocuarto duque de Hamilton y líder de escuadrón más joven de la Royal Air Force, que fue quien cogió tan temido toro por los cuernos al buscar el imprescindible apoyo financiero de Lucy, Lady Houston, a la que convenció diciéndole que sobrevolar el Everest fortalecería el dominio británico en la India.
Clydesdale decidió utilizar dos biplanos para el intento: el primer Westland PV-6 (un prototipo del bombardero Westland Wallace) y un Westland PV-3 modificado. Luego seleccionó a David Fowler McIntyre, teniente de vuelo del Escuadrón 602, para pilotar el otro avión.
Cada piloto estaría acompañado por un observador en el segundo asiento del avión: el inventor Stewart Blacker acompañó a Clydesdale en el PV-3 y Sidney RG Bonnett, cinematógrafo de Gaumont British News, acompañó a McIntyre en el PV-6.
Ropa de piel de oveja
Ambas aeronaves fueron modificadas por Blacker para cerrar las posiciones de los observadores, pero conservaron las cabinas de los pilotos abiertas. Se instalaron sistemas de oxígeno para mantener con vida a la tripulación mediante máscaras de oxígeno.
Las tripulaciones llevaban varias capas de ropa de piel de oveja y las aeronaves se modificaron para proporcionar conexiones para trajes de vuelo con calefacción. Para ahorrar peso, no había paracaídas. Todo a una carta…
Se desarrolló un combustible especial que no se congelara a las bajas temperaturas esperadas. Los suministros de combustible y oxígeno fueron suficientes sólo para 15 minutos a gran altitud.
Para obtener un mosaico fotográfico del terreno, cada aeronave estaba equipada con una cámara de película fija que apuntaba hacia abajo en el fuselaje, mientras que los observadores llevaban cámaras fotográficas.
La expedición despegó de Lulbalu, un aeródromo a unos 80 km. al sur del Monte Everest, a las 8:25 h del 3 de abril de 1933. Después de las 9 h, alcanzaron su altitud máxima de 9.400 metros (31.000 pies) al sobrevolar el Lhotse, la cuarta montaña más alta del mundo, ubicada a 3,2 km al sur del Everest.
Las corrientes de aire descendentes inducidas por las montañas hicieron que ambas aeronaves perdieran unos 460 metros (1.500 pies) casi de golpe.
Bonnett perdió brevemente el conocimiento debido a la hipoxia después de una rotura en su línea de oxígeno pero reparó con éxito la fuga con un pañuelo. Luego, una correa que sujetaba la máscara de oxígeno de McIntyre también se rompió, lo que lo obligó a sostenerla en su lugar con una mano mientras volaba la aeronave con la otra.
A sólo 30 metros de la cima
A las 10:05 a.m., ambos aviones pasaron aproximadamente a 100 pies (sólo 30 metros) sobre la cumbre. McIntyre necesitó tres intentos para pasar sobre la cumbre.
La noticia del exitoso vuelo se envió a Londres por telegrama. Se felicitó al equipo, pero se les prohibió repetir la hazaña debido a los peligrosos problemas con el suministro de oxígeno. Sin embargo, la calidad de las fotografías tomadas en el primer vuelo se vio afectada por el polvo, por lo que las tripulaciones decidieron ignorar las instrucciones de Londres y realizar un segundo vuelo.
Lo lograron con éxito el 19 de abril, cuando las condiciones meteorológicas eran más despejadas. Esta vez pudieron obtener fotografías de alta calidad de la superficie.
Las fotografías se hicieron públicas en 1951 y fueron utilizadas por Edmund Hillary y Tenzing Norgay para planificar su ruta a la cima del Monte Everest, que escalaron con éxito en 1953. Un documental de media hora sobre el vuelo, ‘Wings Over Everest’, ganó un Oscar de la Academia en 1936.
This news was originally published on this post .
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