FLOYD D. BENNETT
1890-1928
"MONARCH OF THE AIR"
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FLOYD D. BENNETT 1890-1928 "MONARCH OF THE AIR" |
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| EARLY LIFE: Born at North Caldwell, Warren County: resided with an aunt on Harrington Hill, Warrensburg, working on her farm. | |||
| EDUCATION: Attended Warrensbuurg schools; worked in the woods for a year; took automotive course in Schenectady; worked in Hague and at a garage in Ticonderoga, becoming part owner. | |||
| U.S. NAVY : Enlisted in 1917 and trained as air pilot; served as instructor in air mechanics at Hampton Roads Base, Norfolk, Virgina, during World War I; rated by his superiors as one of the most capable men in the service. | |||
| NORTH POLE : Named by Commander Richard Byrd as second in command for Arctic expedition in May of 1926; Bennett was the pilot for the first flight ever over the North Pole; a broken oil line during the trip threatened to bring failure but was overcome, largely because of Bennett's efforts. | |||
| RECOGNITION: Personally decorated with Congressional Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge for the achievement; given tremendous public ovation upon return to Warren County in June of 1926; airfields in Brooklyn and Warren County were named for him, as was the plane that used on his South Pole flight. | |||
| LATER FLIGHT: Commander Byrd chose Bennett as second in command for proposed flight to Paris in 1927, but Bennett was injured when the plane fell during a trial; after recuperation and to the time of his death, Bennett had expected to assist Byrd in his historic flight to the South Pole. | |||