Herbert Hollick-Kenyon
Encyclopedia
Herbert Hollick-Kenyon was an aircraft pilot who made significant contributions towards aviation in Antarctica.
in Canada
. He joined the Canadian army in 1914 as a trooper. He joined the Royal Flying Corps
in 1917.
, Hollick-Kenyon participated as a pilot during several search-and-rescue missions for polar expeditions which had gone missing. These missions included searching for the MacAlpine Expedition in 1929 and Sigizmund Levanevsky
who went missing during a trans-polar flight from Moscow
to Alaska
in 1937.
in 1935.
Ellsworth had made a prior attempt to fly across the south pole in 1934 with a different pilot, Bernt Balchen
. Poor weather and a dispute over the number of crew members in the expedition (Ellsworth wanted 2, Balchen wanted 3) ended the trip.
Hollick-Kenyon (serving as a replacement for Balchen) and Ellsworth left on November 23, 1935 from Dundee Island
bound for Richard E. Byrd's base camp at Little America
. They flew 3500 km across the breadth of Antarctica, claiming 350000 square miles (906,495.8 km²) of land for the United States of America.
They were forced to land 25 miles (40.2 km) short of their goal due to the lack of fuel. They began walking, but due to the loss of their radio at the outset of the trip, had been assumed lost by the United States
. They arrived at the Little America camp, where they remained for nearly two months. They were eventually spotted by the British research ship Discovery which took them aboard and returned them safely home.
Hollick-Kenyon flew a Northrop Gamma
(serial number 2B), a single-engine, low-winged airplane called the Polar Star. Hollick-Kenyon later recovered the aircraft and it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution
in 1936 by Ellsworth.
Early life
At an early age, Hollick-Kenyon emigrated to Ewing's Landing in the province of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He joined the Canadian army in 1914 as a trooper. He joined the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in 1917.
Polar search and rescue
Prior to the start of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Hollick-Kenyon participated as a pilot during several search-and-rescue missions for polar expeditions which had gone missing. These missions included searching for the MacAlpine Expedition in 1929 and Sigizmund Levanevsky
Sigizmund Levanevsky
Sigizmund Aleksandrovich Levanevsky was a Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin and a Hero of the Soviet Union .-Life and career:...
who went missing during a trans-polar flight from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 1937.
The Ellsworth Expedition
Hollick-Kenyon is most widely known as a pilot in the trans-Antarctic flight of Lincoln EllsworthLincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
in 1935.
Ellsworth had made a prior attempt to fly across the south pole in 1934 with a different pilot, Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen, , a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross was a Norwegian native, and later U.S. citizen, known as a pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. His service in the U.S...
. Poor weather and a dispute over the number of crew members in the expedition (Ellsworth wanted 2, Balchen wanted 3) ended the trip.
Hollick-Kenyon (serving as a replacement for Balchen) and Ellsworth left on November 23, 1935 from Dundee Island
Dundee Island
Dundee Island is an ice-covered island lying east of the northeastern tip of Antarctic Peninsula and south of Joinville Island.On January 8, 1893, during the Dundee Whaling Expedition, the island was named by Captain Thomas Robertson of the Active and named for the home port, Dundee, Scotland,...
bound for Richard E. Byrd's base camp at Little America
Little America
Little America was a series of Antarctic exploration bases, located on the Ross Ice Shelf, south of the Bay of Whales.The first base in the series was established in January 1929 by Richard Byrd, and was abandoned in 1930....
. They flew 3500 km across the breadth of Antarctica, claiming 350000 square miles (906,495.8 km²) of land for the United States of America.
They were forced to land 25 miles (40.2 km) short of their goal due to the lack of fuel. They began walking, but due to the loss of their radio at the outset of the trip, had been assumed lost by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They arrived at the Little America camp, where they remained for nearly two months. They were eventually spotted by the British research ship Discovery which took them aboard and returned them safely home.
Hollick-Kenyon flew a Northrop Gamma
Northrop Gamma
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1....
(serial number 2B), a single-engine, low-winged airplane called the Polar Star. Hollick-Kenyon later recovered the aircraft and it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in 1936 by Ellsworth.
Awards and Distinctions
- A major land area in Antarctica is now named the "Hollick-Kenyon PlateauHollick-Kenyon PlateauHollick-Kenyon Plateau is a large, relatively featureless snow plateau, 1,200 m to 1,800 m above sea level, located between the northern portion of the Ellsworth Mountains, to the east, and Mount Takahe and Crary Mountains, to the west...
" in his honor. - Hollick-Kenyon was inducted into the Canada's Aviation Hall of FameCanada's Aviation Hall of FameCanada's Aviation Hall of Fame, based in the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, commemorates and honours those whose accomplishments in aviation contributed so much to Canada's development as a nation...
in 1975 for his achievements.