Balchen, Bernt << BAHL kuhn, burnt >> (1899-1973), was a Norwegian-American aviation pioneer. He flew across the Atlantic Ocean with Richard E. Byrd in 1927, and was the chief pilot on Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition. He piloted the first airplane over the South Pole on Nov. 29, 1929. He first gained experience in Arctic flying by serving with Roald Amundsen.
Balchen joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941. Later, he commanded air operations against Germany in northern Norway during World War II. He was born on Oct. 23, 1899, in Tveit, near Arendal, Norway. He died on Oct. 18, 1973.
