History of Aerial Polar Navigation

Joseph N. Portney

Abstract:	The aerial conquest of the North Pole is credited to Commander Richard E. Byrd. accompanied by Warrant Officer Floyd Bennett, who staked his claim on May 9, 1926 in a Fokker uimotor. He used a mariner’s sextant (with a bubble level), sun compass and drift sight to achieve this historic navigational feat. In July 1981. this author participated in the first aerial polar crossing using a ring laser inertial navigation system. In the intervening years. polar navigation relied upon celestial techniques, grid navigation (utilizing a displaced pole) and directional gyros. This paper will trace the evolution of aerial polar navigation from the first attempt to the present time. The controversy surroundmg the validity of Byrd’s claim of first flight over the North Pole will also be resolved.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1991) June 10 - 12, 1991 Williamsburg Hilton and National Conference Center Williamsburg, VA
Pages:	371 - 375
Cite this article:	Updated citation: Published in NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation
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