Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett: First to Fly over the North Pole

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Richard Byrd and his crew boarded Chantier and steamed to London, where they received a hero’s welcome. On June 23, 1926, the steamer reached New York City, where a ticker tape parade down Broadway awaited the aviators. In Washington, the U.S. Congress promoted Byrd to commander and Bennett to warrant officer, and awarded both men rare peacetime Medals of Honor. The National Geographic Society awarded Byrd the coveted Hubbard Gold Medal and Bennett with another gold medal.

Though Floyd Bennett died of pneumonia in 1928, Richard Byrd would remember him in years to come. In November 1929, the commander became the first man to fly over the South Pole–with Bernt Balchen at the controls–this flight in a Ford Trimotor appropriately christened Floyd Bennett. Byrd and Bennett, the two names that had made history over the North Pole, were together again for the journey south.

Disputes later arose over the legitimacy of Byrd’s North Pole claims. Some experts felt that he could not have flown the distance to the North Pole and back in 16 hours. They also questioned his recording of a strong tailwind that had aided Josephine Ford back to Spitsbergen. Byrd’s logbook, records and calculations were hurried to a select panel of scientists at the National Geographic Society. After checking and rechecking the data, the committee confirmed that Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett had indeed been the first men to fly over the North Pole.

This article was written by Kenneth P. Czech and originally published in the May 1998 issue of Aviation History.

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