The Pilot’s Lounge #6:
A Pilot for All Time, More Cold Tips, and a Memorable Flight

Winter's not over yet, not by a long shot. While waiting for the preheater to thaw out your airplane, have you ever wondered about the first pilots to brave cold-weather flying? AVweb's Rick Durden has, and he took the time to research the

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The Pilots LoungeLast month, I passed along some cold-weather operatingtechniques put together by the denizens of the pilot’s lounge here at our virtual airport.In the process, I mentioned the father of cold weather flying, Bernt Balchen, and said I’dtell you a little more about him this month. In the interim, I’ve also received somefeedback on cold weather ops, which I’ll mention, as well as a moving first-flightexperience.

The Patron Saint Of Cold Weather Flying

In talking to pilots about cold weather ops, I’ve found that few are aware of the pilotwho was probably the greatest aerial adventurer of this century. Okay, okay, there about22 months left before the we roll into a new century, but I’m going out on a limb becauseI don’t think anyone can surpass this guy. Part of my reasoning is based on an experienceI had about 15 years ago when I had the great good fortune to sit next to Paul Garber,curator emeritus of the Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. He was theemployee of the Smithsonian who had the audacity to send a telegram to Charles Lindbergh,in Paris, asking that the Spirit of St. Louis be given to the Museum. The interestingthing was that he sent the telegram while Lindbergh was still en route. Garber had beensuch a careful observer of the aviation world up through 1927 that he knew Lindbergh wouldmake it. By the time I was able to speak with him, Dr. Garber was the one person who hadbeen in the position to know as much about the people in aviation in North America asanyone alive.

During dinner I asked Dr. Garber whom he felt was the best all-around pilot, ever. Iexpected him to identify Dr. Jimmy Doolittle (how many people know Doolittle had a Ph.D.in aeronautical engineering?) With very little hesitation, Dr. Garber said, “BerntBalchen.” I asked why, primarily because so few people know of Balchen. Dr. Garberexplained to me that it was because Balchen was the person absolutely everyone trustedcompletely, and said that he was the only one of the famous aviators of the “goldenage” who was not a self-promoter, something which was ordinarily necessary to eatregularly in those days. Balchen was intensely and painfully shy; however, he was simplyso good, and so brilliant, that he never wanted for work in the most challenging areas ofaviation. He was always selected for some of the toughest exploring and pioneeringexpeditions.

As a result of the process of putting together the material on cold-weather operations,I talked with our resident historian here at the pilot’s lounge and dug up some materialon this amazing airman. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Bernt Balchen

Bernt BalchenBernt Balchen landed on this planet on Oct. 23, 1899, in Norway. He grew uphiking the mountains and forests of that fascinating land, disappearing into thewilderness for weeks at a time, even as a youth. Though shy, he was reasonably fit. In1919, he was the heavyweight boxer selected to represent Norway in the Olympics. Shortlyafter the selection was made, he was also picked for pilot training in the Royal NorwegianNavy. The Navy would not delay the training until after the Olympics, so, at 20 years ofage, Balchen was faced with a bit of a dilemma. He chose flight. As a result of thatdecision he went on to do more Arctic and Antarctic flying than anyone in the pre-jet era.

By 1926, he had already done some long-distance flying over uninhabited areas and wasone of the earliest successful practitioners of ded (yes, ded, short for deduced)reckoning navigation. He was also a practitioner of celestial navigation. Because of thepracticalities of flying in the far north, he also had become an accomplished aircraftmechanic so that he could continue to function as a pilot. That year, he was selected as amember of the Roald Amundsen expedition to fly an Italian dirigible over the North Pole.

While at the staging base on Spitsbergen Island, Balchen was sent over to RichardByrd’s camp where Byrd was planning to ride over the North Pole in a Fokker Trimotor flownby Floyd Bennet. Byrd’s inexperienced crews had managed to break both sets of skis for theairplane. Balchen built them a new set, using lifeboat oars split lengthwise forreinforcement, then explained how to keep them from sticking to the snow. That Byrdsubsequently faked the flight over the North Pole is well-accepted now (he didn’t evenstay aloft long enough to come close to having made the round trip, despite claiming atailwind on both legs). Interestingly, there are still some reference books and museumswhich give Byrd credit for making the flight. For his work with the Americans, Balchen wasinvited to come to the U.S. with Byrd’s entourage. En route to the U.S., Byrd had Balchenperform a series of navigational calculations. To Balchen’s amazement, his numbers werethe ones that later appeared on the maps Byrd submitted to the Geographic Society as partof his “proof” of the flight.

The Josephine Ford at the Ford MusuemOnce in the U.S., Balchen teamed with Floyd Bennett and flew theFokker around the country, before leaving it at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.,where it now resides (and where the plaque still says it made it over the North Pole -but given that Henry Ford was a major contributor to the endeavor and the airplane wasnamed The Josephine Ford, this is not surprising). Bernt was then hired as a test pilotfor Fokker. Before long, he was sent to northern Canada to help Western Canadian Airlinesset up its cold-weather service with the Fokker Universal and Super Universal and then hewas second pilot on Byrd’s flight across the Atlantic in another Fokker Trimotor shortlyafter Lindbergh made the trip. Interestingly, Balchen was hired as co-pilot to famedairshow and race pilot Bert Acosta, yet it was Balchen who actually hand-flew all but thetakeoff because the weather was lousy. Acosta, as was the case with most pilots at thetime, could not fly instruments. Upon getting to the French coast and receiving word ofdeteriorating weather in Paris (they had a radio receiver), Balchen set course directlyfor Paris. Byrd overrode him and demanded they fly up the coast then follow the Seine. Theextra two hours required for the detour meant they arrived after fog had set in. They hadto return to the coast. Balchen, showing a certain degree of skill, ditched the Fokkerjust off the beach. All aboard got ashore without injuries.

Balchen, torn between his love of his native country and his adopted country, appliedfor U.S. citizenship. While his application was pending, he went to Antarctica, where, inNovember 1929, as pilot in command, he flew Byrd over the South Pole in a Ford Trimotor.On this polar trip, there were two others aboard and a full photographic record of theflight was made, even though Balchen had to take on the navigation chores because Byrd,inexplicably and despite being officially the navigator, did nothing. The story ofBalchen’s handling of the overloaded Ford and finding the updraft inches from the leewardwall of a glacier valley to climb to the high south polar plateau is chilling to this day.

While in Antarctica for a year, Balchen and others invented cold-weather gear andengine heating devices still in use all over the world. Upon returning to the U.S., thepresident gave the Distinguished Flying Cross to all in the airplane, except Balchen.Leaving the White House, Bernt was handed a subpoena. He was to be deported for violatingthe terms of his citizenship application by going to the South Pole. The sensational storywas printed in newspaper extras that afternoon. Fiorello LaGuardia, then a U.S.Representative, later Mayor of New York, and who had flown combat in World War I, got wordof the pending deportation. With Minnesota Representative Shipstead, of the otherpolitical party, LaGuardia pushed through Congress a bipartisan bill that was signed byPresident Hoover, making Balchen a citizen before he could be deported.

Bernt returned to Antarctica and made a number of other pioneering flights over thatcontinent.

When Amelia Earhart decided to fly a Lockheed Vega solo across the Atlantic, Balchenprepared and test flew the airplane.

Shortly before World War II started, Army Air Corps General Hap Arnold swore Balcheninto the Army as a Major and sent him to build an airport at Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland,to become famous as Bluie West 8. Balchen’s crew built the place starting from someone’sidea that a mud flat at the end of a fjord could be made into an airport. It was used bythousands of the airplanes and aircrew that crossed the Atlantic to fight for the Alliesin World War II.

Out of necessity, Balchen created an arctic rescue program. He and his men picked upnumerous downed airmen from the Greenland ice cap. More than once Balchen landed a PBY, avery large, twin-engine amphibian, gear up on the icecap to rescue men dying of exposureand lack of food. He was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor for theseexploits, but Admiral Richard Byrd’s brother, a Senator, blocked the award.

Balchen was then sent to England to command the secret air group making flights betweenScotland and Sweden that had also taken on the task of supplying the NorwegianUnderground. In addition to flying regular missions as a full Colonel, he kept in touchwith the situation on the ground in Norway by personally sneaking across the Nazi-heldborders.

During the war, he was five times nominated for promotion to Major General, but, as ithad to be approved by Congress, which included a particular Senator, he never got thepromotion despite having kept his mouth shut about Byrd’s North Pole deception.

Despite the “interesting” relationship, Balchen was said to have had greataffection and respect for Richard Byrd, a master of organizing and raising funds for polarexpeditions, but who behaved a little strangely once things were actually underway.

Following the war, Balchen was involved in the development of the current Scandinavianairline system, then went to Alaska where he became responsible for setting up the AirForce’s arctic search and rescue operations based on his Greenland experience. Whilethere, he flew a DC-4 over the North Pole en route to England researching polar routes forthe Air Force. Thus, he became the first person to physically fly an airplane over bothPoles.

He passed away in the 1970s, and in one of those odd twists of fate, is buried next toAdmiral Byrd at Arlington National Cemetary.

There is a prestigious award given to airports of various sizes for outstanding snowremoval. It is hard to win, for there are some airports that are very good at the job.Those who receive it are justifiably proud of the effort. It is simply called the BalchenAward.

This year we will see the centennial of Bernt Balchen’s birth. So, the next time youuse a preheater and manage to get your airplane started, remember that he was partiallyresponsible for your being able to do it.

By the way, if you want some very interesting aviation reading for these long winternights, I suggest: Oceans, Poles And Airmen, by Richard Montague, (Random House,1971), about first flights over large bodies of water and extensive ice (his analysis ofthe faked north pole flight and the changes Balchen made to his autobiography at theinsistence of the Byrd family will get your undivided attention); Hitch Your Wagon,by Clayton Knight and Robert C. Durham, (Bell Publishing, 1950), a biography of BerntBalchen; and Come North With Me, by Bernt Balchen (E.P. Dutton & Co., 1958). Asa reader of aviation books, I’ve found that “Aeroplane Books” of Williamsburg,Va., 800/447-8890, has been able to locate a number of out-of-print aviation books for me.

A Little More Cold Weather

As a result of my last column, I received a bit of sobering feedback from reader PaulDold. It seems he and another pilot once put duct tape over the air vent openings on a1968 Arrow (180 hp version) one very cold day. It helped keep the cabin warm, but, unknownto them, one of those vents also supplied cooling air to the radio stack. They fried, andlost, the radios en route. I agree with his suggestion to make sure you know where any airvents go before you plug them.

Paul also related a snowplow story. One night he landed on one runway at a multi-runwayairport while snow clearing operations were in process. While rolling out, his landinglight illuminated a windrow of snow across “his” runway, left by the plowsclearing the intersecting runway. He was able to stop, but it nearly ruined his evening.

In the last month, I landed at an airport where the plow operators had faced achallenge following a major blizzard. They did not pile snow at the ends, but the sheervolume of snow meant that a windrow was left as they made the pass at each end of therunway. It was about two feet tall, right at the very end of the runway. So, as I said,don’t aim for the threshold of the runway at night unless the runway is very short and youare absolutely certain you know there is nothing sticking up.

Let’s be real careful out there.

The Joy Of A Child

I did something recently I’d promised my daughter I’d do once she got big enough andthe weather cooperated. She has been a climber, has taken gymnastics and loves to hangupside down. The first time she saw an air show pilot roll an airplane onto its back shesaid she wanted to try it. Finally, we did.

The local 7KCAB Citabria has a mod to the engine so it puts out 170 hp rather than 150,which is nice. Unfortunately, it went on the market a few weeks ago, so I’ve been tryingto fly it before it’s gone. I was getting worried that the weather would not cooperate inthe interim.

Finally the gray skies of winter rolled back, so I called to see if I could get theCitabria about a half hour after my daughter’s school let out. It was available. I showedup at school at dismissal and was rewarded by a nine-year-old running full tilt into meand yelling “Daddy!” I told her today was the day we were going to doaerobatics. Her response was to sprint to the car and tell me to hurry.

On the way to the airport we talked about parachutes and rolls and loops. She wanted todo rolls. Once at the hangar, I ran a weight and balance to see if I could put a75-pounder with a 20-pound chute in the front seat and me in the back. Yep.

We spent about a half-hour discussing how to wear her chute, what controls were whatand how they differed from the family bug-smasher. She showed that she could pull themixture to idle cutoff and shut off the fuel if we had an emergency, and that she couldrelease the safety harness, get the door open and jump. Once strapped in, having yourdaughter hit the starter on an airplane for the first time is a pretty emotionalexperience. My goodness she’s growing up. Well, her feet don’t reach the rudders, so itwill be some time before we consider any serious dual.

CitabriaItwas kind of nice flying from the back and being able to see forward clearly. Even sittingon a cushion and a parachute, the front seat occupant didn’t block much of the view.Climbout over the snow-covered landscape was the sort of thing which inspires poets. Mypassenger counted the feet until we were 4,000 feet above the ground because she wanted todo a roll as soon as we got there. She was a little dismayed to learn we had to fly levelseveral miles to get to an area where we could legally do the maneuvers.

My friends, the first roll was a ball. She laughed and shouted and crowed all the wayaround. She thought it was great. She loved having a window on top of the airplane so shecould see the ground when we were upside down. She wanted to do a roll herself. She wasn’tstrong enough to get full aileron deflection on the Citabria, even with spades, so I”helped.” Another laughing, cheering roll. It was infectious. I’ve alwaysenjoyed “akro,” but I’ve never been in an airplane with anyone so expressiveabout the pure joy of it. Then we had to do some level inverted flight, and some loops andsome more rolls. On some rolls, she did most of the work on the ailerons. I’d figuredshe’d last through a couple of rolls, a little inverted work, then a loop or two. Nope,she wanted more. Another session of inverted flight, more rolls and then zero g, which wasa little disappointing to her because she was strapped in tightly.

Finally she decided she had had enough. While we let down, she did open the air ventfor a little fresh air (good, she’s mortal), but she never expressed any other indicationof nausea.

Someone had lowered the runway by about six inches since the last time I was there, sothe landing was pronounced “bouncy.” Just what I get for being a littleimpatient on a wheel landing. Sigh.

As we taxied in, she started telling me that she wanted to use the parachute and wantsto skydive when she gets old enough. I just smiled. I hope that sense of adventure doesn’tdesert her. After reaching the hangar, she shut the engine down with the mixture controland said, “watch how fast I can get out.” She popped the quick releases on thetwo seat belts, opened the door (I worked the top latch), spun around, put her feet on thedoor sill and jumped out, chute and all. Fortunately she didn’t reach for the D ring, as Ihad visions of paying for a re-pack.

I wrote this section a couple of hours after we flew. As I wrote it, she was stillexcited. I am still very, very glad we were able to do something which was so much fun forboth of us.

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