Nostalgic trip marks Pole air anniversary

Press, 28 November 1979, Page 4

Nostalgic trip marks Pole air anniversary

Dr Laurence Gould, sec-ond-in-command of the expedition in which the South Pole was conquered bv air, will return to the Pole tomorrow. Tomorrow it will be 50 years since Commander hater Rear-Admiral) Richard E. Byrd and his crew left the runway at “Little America,” Antarctica, in a heavily laden Ford Trimotor aircraft, the Floyd Bennett to head for the South Pole. Dr Gould, a geologist in the ground party that supported the historic flight of the Floyd Bennett, is one of 12 Americans who have arrived in Christchurch during the last fewdays to attend the anniversary celebrations at the South Pole. The official party will leave Christchurch for Antarctica today in a United States Air Force Starlifter aircraft. Tomorrow a skiequipped Hercules will take the party to the South Pole for the official celebrations of the anniversary of Byrd’s flight. The Hercules will fly from Williams Field, at McMurdo Sound, to the former site of Little America and from there will follow the flight path of the Floyd Bennett to

the Pole. The Hercules will return to McMurdo Station that evening. Also on the flight to the Pole will be Mr Norman Vaughan, w-ho was a dog driver on the Bvrd expedition. The explorer’s nephew (Senator Harry F. Byrd, of Virginia) and a grandson (Mr Robert Brewyer) head the list of others in the official party. These include members of the United States National Science Board, Government officials, a congressional representative, and naval personnel. The National Science Board’s representative in Christchurch (Mr W. Seelig) said that a number of New- Zealanders were in the crew of the ships Eleanor Bolling and City of New York which Byrd took to Antarctica. The foundation had traced three New Zealanders who were on the ex. pedition and was looking for more, he said. On the historic flight Byrd was accompanied by three other men: an aerial photographer, Ashley McKinley; Bernt Balchen, the pilot; and Harold June, the co-pilot and radio operator. Byrd was the navigator.