B
hall of fame
Bernt Balchen was one of America’s foremost Arctic experts. Besides
being a pioneer in polar aviation, a competent navigator, a skilled aeronautical
engineer and a respected military leader,
he was highly knowledgeable about survival in the frozen wastes of the North
and South Poles. Born on October 23,
1899, in Tveit, near Kristiansand, Norway, he later became a US citizen. He
always strove for excellence, and fought
for freedom in the armed forces of three
nations—Norway, Britain and
finally the United States.
As a youngster Balchen
excelled in sports. His long list of
interests included athletics, boxing, marksmanship and skiing.
He would have represented Norway in the 1920 Olympics but was
selected for flight training and in
1921, became a pilot in the Royal
Norwegian Navy Air Service. In
1925, while stationed in Spitsbergen, Norway, he gained his
first exp