The Aviation Historian — January 2018

42 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 22

ABOVE Gunnestad (in cockpit) and Thor Bernhoft prepare Lockheed Vega LN-ABD for the flight from Gardermoen

to Lympne on October 13, 1933. The sponsors’ names have been displayed prominently on the fuselage, including

a panel advertising Selo film beneath the cabin windows, and the logo for “Bensin SNE”, a Soviet-produced fuel.

In early July 1929 Lockheed Vega 1 NR33E (c/n 34)

was dismantled and placed aboard the Norwegian

steamer MS Stavangerfjord, which departed New

York for Oslo on July 6, arriving ten days later.

It was initially registered N-41 and in May 1932,

painted red, it became the first aircraft to be

given an LN-series registration, LN-ABD.

ABOVE LEFT A significant driving force behind Gunnestad’s plan to establish a direct air route between Norway

and the UK was Norwegian whaling magnate Consul Lars Christensen, seen here during one of his Antarctic

expeditions. ABOVE RIGHT Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, the Consul’s aviation consultant and Managing Director of DNL.

KAY HAGBY COLLECTION

GUNNESTAD COLLECTION

ROB MULDER COLLECTION