Page 3 - Feb2018

In 1928, he joined Canadian Airways. Hollick-
Kenyon played a leading role in searches for missing

adventurers – the marooned 1929 MacAlpine
1935 Antarctic Flight expedition and the 1937 search for Sigmund

Levanevsky who was lost on a trans-polar flight.

It was, however, Hollick-Kenyon’s role as lead pilot

on the 1935 Ellsworth Antarctic expedition that
landed him on the world stage. Hollick-Kenyon and

expedition leader Lincoln Ellsworth were the first to

fly over the Antarctic, an accomplishment not
Herbert Hollick-Kenyon aborted two flights and barely
repeated until 1956.
avoided being grounded by Lincoln Ellsworth
How did a relatively unknown Canadian Airways
In early December 1935, two men flew over the last
pilot from Winnipeg get chosen to be one of two
unexplored area on earth – the Antarctic – one of them
pilots Ellsworth recruited to his Antarctic
was the American world-famous explorer Lincoln
expedition? The other pilot Ellsworth invited to join
Ellsworth and the other was Herbert Hollick-Kenyon, a
his team was J.H. Lymburner, also a Canadian
Canadian Airways Ltd. pilot based in Winnipeg.
Airways pilot and one of the pilots of CF-AUJ, the
Hollick-Kenyon died at age 78 in 1975 in Vancouver, a
unique Fairchild Super 71 now on display in the
year after his induction into the Canadian Aviation Hall of
museum.
Fame. A notice on his death in the Winnipeg Tribune said
A feature article in the October 10, 1964 edition of
he: “achieved international fame for his historic 2,200-
the Winnipeg Free Press, by Edward R. Green
mile expedition over the Antarctic in 1935.” The news
explains that the 1935 Antarctic expedition was
item also reported he “spent more than 14,000 hours in
Ellsworth’s third attempt to fly across that
the air in 45 types of aircraft, was employed with Trans-
continent. Ellsworth’s lead pilot on his first two
Canada Airlines in 1930, and Canadian Pacific Airlines in
attempts was Bernt Balchen, a Norwegian who
1942. He became head of CP Air’s pilot training program
spent several months in Manitoba in 1927 airlifting
and retired in 1967.”
supplies to Churchill in support of the northern
Hollick-Kenyon was born in England and emigrated to
railway project. It appears that Ellsworth and
British Columbia as a youth. He joined the Canadian Army
Balchen had a falling out because the Free Press
and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917, where
article says Balchen: “did not always accept
he learned to fly. When the war ended, he continued as
Ellsworth’s wishes regarding flight plans.” Balchen,
an instructor.
who at the time had the reputation as the world’s
best cold-weather pilot, wanted Ellsworth to recruit

three pilots for the expedition.