Floyd Bennett
| Floyd Bennett | |
|---|---|
 
|
|
| Born |
October 25, 1890 Warrensburg, New York |
| Died | April 25, 1928 (aged 37) Quebec City, Canada |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1917–1928 |
| Rank | Warrant Officer |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Floyd Bennett (October 25, 1890 – April 25, 1928) was an American aviator who claimed, along with Richard E. Byrd, to have made the first flight to the North Pole in 1926. However, their claim to have reached the pole is disputed.
Bennett was born in Warrensburg, New York, in 1890. He was an automobile mechanic before he enlisted in the Navy in 1917, during World War I. Bennett attended flight school, learned to fly and was rated as an Aviation Pilot. Bennett served with Richard E. Byrd on an aviation survey of Greenland in 1925, on which Byrd came to respect his ability as a pilot.
Byrd named Bennett as his pilot for an attempt to reach the North Pole by air in 1926. The expedition was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Edsel Ford, Vincent Astor and T. F. Ryan.
Bennett was at the controls on May 9 as the two men made their attempt, in a Fokker Tri-motor called the Josephine Ford. They returned to their airfield in Spitzbergen on that day. During the flight, the aircraft's engine developed an oil leak. Bennett advised turning back but Byrd decided to continue the flight. Although members of the European press were skeptical of their claim (because it seemed that the plane had been away from Spitzbergen too briefly to have reached the North Pole), Byrd and Bennett were lionized as heroes in America.
Both Bennett and Byrd received the Medal of Honor for this feat. The subsequent discovery of Byrd's diary of the flight, with erased (but still legible) sextant readings, has been considered as evidence they might not have reached the North Pole.
After returning to the United States, Bennett flew the Josephine Ford on a goodwill tour of America, with Balchen as his co-pilot. Later in his life Balchen claimed that Bennett confessed to him that he and Byrd did not reach the North Pole but, instead, flew around in circles. Balchen would go on to pilot Byrd to the South Pole in 1929, became a highly decorated Army Air Forces officer during the Second World War and retired from the United States Air Force as a colonel.
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