[00:10.69]How was the plane able to clear the mountains? [00:15.88]In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, [00:22.78]the American explorer, R.E. Byrd, [00:27.04]successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time. [00:32.03]Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a [00:37.06]great many photographs of the mountains that lay below, [00:42.09]they soon ran into serious trouble. [00:46.01]At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash. [00:51.39]It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10, 000 feet. [00:57.71]Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks. [01:04.15]The plane was then able to rise and it cleared the mountains by 400 feet. [01:11.03]Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles away, [01:18.78]for there were no more mountains in sight. [01:22.53]The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.