Col. Bernt Balchen
Wilfred M. "Wiley" Post

Presented by
The International Aviation Snow Symposium

Sponsored by
The Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives

NOTE-Consideration for this award will be given to those airports who either apply, or are recommended.

Past Balchen/Post Award Recipients (1976-1999)

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Send your applications and recommendations to:
Mr. Richard J. Williams, A.A.E.
Balchen/Post Award Committee Chairman
P.O. Box 8
(OR)
1 A Black Walnut Lane
West Milford, NJ 07480
Phone: (973) 728-6760
FAX: (973) 728-6760
E-mail: ewr103@optonline.net

PURPOSE OF THE AWARD The purpose of this award is two-fold: to promote better snow and ice control, and to recognize those individuals responsible for outstanding performance.

THE AWARD
At the April 27, 2005, Awards Luncheon during the April 23-27, 2005, International Aviation Snow Symposium in Buffalo, New York, the six Balchen/Post Plaques will be awarded to the employees of the airport that, in the judgment of the Award Selection Committee, has demonstrated excellence in the performance of snow and ice control.

The plaque will be retained permanently at the recipient airport. In addition a "master" plaque containing the names of all past recipients will be retained by the Symposium for display at appropriate aviation functions.

A completed application for your airport should be submitted to the committee at the following address and be postmarked no later than March 31, 2005:

Balchen/Post Award Committee
c/o Richard Williams, Chairman
P.O. Box 8
(OR)
1 A Black Walnut Lane
West Milford, NJ 07480

AWARD SELECTION COMMITTEE:

Bill Phaneuf
Airline Pilots Association

David Wagner
U.S Dept. of Defense

David Lotterer
Regional Airline Association

Paul McGraw
Air Transport Association

Keith Holt
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Richard DeiTos Jr.
Metro Washington Airlines Comm.

Jeffrey H. Gilley
National Business Aviation Association

Edward L. Dorsett, A.A.E.
Federal Aviation Administration

Richard J. Williams, A.A.E.
Chair

AWARD CATEGORIES
There will be six awards--one in each of the following categories:

Commercial Airport-providing scheduled service and holding a Part 139 certificate (not a limited Part 139 certificate)
Large: Over 200,000 scheduled operations annually
Medium: 100,000-200,000 scheduled operations annually
Small: Less than 100,000 scheduled operations annually

General Aviation Airport-including limited Part 139 certificate airports.
Large: 50,000 or more total operations annually
Small: Less than 50,000 total operations annually

Military Airport

ELIGIBILITY
In establishing the Award it is with the realization there are many variables to be considered such as:

Type and size of airport
Type of snow and amount normally experienced
Temperature ranges
Other phenomena peculiar to a particular area

Due to these many variations, the matter of rating an airport becomes a factor of judgment rather than a mathematical or more precise methods of measurement.

The Award Selections Committee will be responsible for reviewing nominees for the award and making the final selection. The committee will consist of ten members, one each from the following organizations: International Aviation Snow Symposium, ALPA, AOPA, ATA, DOD, FAA, MWAC, NBAA, NEC/AAAE, and RAA.

CRITERIA
To be considered for an award, an airport may be recommended by a user or users of the airport, or make direct application. In either case the nomination form attached to this brochure should be used. In the selection process, the committee will give careful consideration to the following:

1. Degree of in-depth preparedness
   A. Snow and ice control plan
   B. Equipment readiness
   C. Personnel training
   D. Overall safety awareness
2. Effectiveness of snow and ice control program:
   A. Aeronautical areas
   1. Runways
   2. Taxiways
   3. Aprons
   4. Ramps
   5. Runway/taxiway lighting
   6. Signs
3. Timeliness and accuracy of communications during the snow and ice control effort with:
   A. The airlines
   B. General aviation
   C. The public
   D. The FAA
   E. Other airport users
4. Post-storm activity
   A. Clean-up
   B. Critique

IMPORTANT: In each case, the committee will consider the size and activity of the airport that has been nominated or made application directly. In most cases, the size and activity of an airport has a direct bearing on the resources (manpower and equipment) available to combat snow and ice conditions. This will mean that the lower activity airports will not be judged by all the above criteria.

COL. BERNT BALCHEN 1899-1973

Born in Tveit, near Kristiansand, Norway, he was the son of a country doctor. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 1918, then was released for service in the Norwegian Army. He then volunteered to fight for Finland's independence from Russia in 1981-1919. Seriously wounded, he returned to Norway and completed Army training. He was transferred to the Norwegian Naval Air Force in 1921. Balchen was an expert navigator and aircraft mechanic, as well as aviator. He was also a member of the Amundsen rescue team sent to Spitzbergen in 1925. Returning to Spitzbergen in 1926 with Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile Dirigible Expedition, he ssisted Byrd's Expedition and was invited by Byrd to come to America. He became employed by Fokker as test pilot. In 1926, Balchen was a pilot for Cdr Byrd on a transatlantic flight. Balchen's expert landing off the French coast saved the crew. Balchen returned to Fokker and assisted flight operations in Northern Canada. Balchen was chief pilot for Byrd's historic Antarctic Expedition in 1928-1930. Balchen was the first to fly over the South Pole. Upon returning to the United States, Balchen continued working as test pilot for Fokker. He participated in the Ellsworth Antarctic Expedition as chief pilot in 1933-1935. He returned to Norway in 1935 to help organize the Norwegian civil airline and pave the way for a Scandinavian civil airline union. He was instrumental in the eventual creation of SAS later in 1946.

In 1939 Balchen served as a consultant to the Finnish Air Staff, as well as a member of the Norwegian Armaments Commission. He successfully negotiated a cooperative US-Scandinavian civil air agreement for transatlantic flights in 1940. Balchen helped establish the Norwegian Air Force training base, "Little Norway", in Canada. Later in 1940, he served the RAF by ferrying aircraft to the Far East. Called to Washington by Gen "Hap" Arnold, he joined the US Army Air Force on September 5 and was deployed to Greenland to build a new key airfield in the North Atlantic aircraft ferry route, "Bluie West-8". Balchen led many daring rescues of downed aircrews in the period of 1942-1943. In January of 1944 Balchen was transferred to the UK to work for the Air Transport Command and the OSS by opening an air transport route from the UK to Stockholm. His mission was to support the resistance in Norway and transport over 2000 Norwegians from Sweden for military training in the UK and Canada. He conducted many clandestine operations in Sweden and Norway. He transported over 1000 US airmen who were released from internment by Sweden to the UK. Over 100 aircraft that had been downed in Sweden were repaired and flown back to the UK. He transported a German V-2 rocket from Sweden to the UK two months prior to the first use of the V-2 against the UK. After the war Balchen became president of Norwegian Airlines. He was awarded many honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Harmon International Trophy, presented by President Eisenhower.

In 1946 Balchen helped form the SAS. He rejoined the USAF in 1948 and commanded an air rescue unit in Alaska. A 1949 flight from Alaska to Norway made him the first pilot to fly across both poles. In 1951 he assisted in the construction of the Thule Air Base in Greenland. He retired from the USAF in 1956. Colonel Balchen died in 1973.

Balchen was a founder and honorary chairman of the International Aviation Snow Symposium.

WILFRED M. "WILEY" POST 1914-1996
Post was a founder and served as general chairman of the International Aviation Snow Symposium for 20 years.

His involvement in aviation dates back to 1936, when he earned a degree in aviation administration and then began flying for an air-commuter service.

He served as manager of Allentown-Bethlehem- Easton Airport from 1938 to 1983. During World War II, Post organized the base operation at A-B-E- Airport that trained more than 1,500 aviation cadets.

Post became a charter member of the National Aviation Trades Association in 1940 and served on its Board of Directors. He was an Accredited Airport Executive, served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Airport Executives, and was an active member of the Northeast Chapter/AAAE until his death in November 1996.