His father, Emil, emigrated to North Dakota, USA as a young man, working various jobs and homesteading on his own land.

In 1926, when Nils was five years old, he recalled standing outside his house with his family and staring at the sky while an enormous airship glided silently overhead.

When he was 18, he joined the Norwegian Merchant Navy in October, 1939, signing a six-month contract with Wilhelmsen Shipping Co. aboard the newly launched M/S Torrens.

World War II had started prior to Christensen signing on with the Merchant navy, on 1 September 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland.

Christensen's ship was in dry dock in New York on this day, when he and his crew mates learned that Norway had entered the war.

When he signed on in 1939, Norway’s population was barely three million people but the country had the fourth largest merchant marine force worldwide.

[4] Due to their importance to the Allies, the civilian fleet ships were in constant danger from German attack and the risk to the Norwegian sailors was great.

Around ten percent of the 34,000 men and women who served in the Norwegian Merchant Fleet during the Second World War lost their lives.

When docked, they had to live in absolute silence, not permitted to talk or listen to the radio at night, to avoid attracting German attention.

[9] In April 1942, at the age of 21, Christensen left the Merchant Fleet and enlisted in the Royal Norwegian Air Force (in exile) in New York City, USA.

The Mosquitoes did surveillance flights and reported to Coastal Command, then the RAF dispatched aircraft with depth chargers and bombs to respond to enemy intruders.

He then flew on Catalinas with the squadron, as a flight mechanic and air gunner, on convoy duty and submarine patrols with the Coastal Command.

[12][13][14] While Christensen was in the Air Force, he learned that one of his commanding officers, Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, had been on board the Norge airship in 1926, the day that five year-old Nils saw it flying over his home in Norway.

In 1951, Braathens SAFE moved their maintenance base back to Norway, prompting Christensen and his wife to seek other options.

In 1951, Christensen and his family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he used the aircraft service and maintenance skills he had gained during the war and in Holland.

At times, if an airplane crashed, Christensen and the other mechanics would fly out with parts and tools, and repair the plane on site so it could be flown home.

In Summer 1959, Christensen joined Forest Industries Flying Tankers (FIFT), as a flight engineer and superintendent of maintenance on the giant Martin JRM Mars water bombers.

[18] The Martin Mars aircraft was initially developed for the US Navy in WWII as a cargo transport seaplane, and was the largest Allied flying boat to enter production.

Christensen obtained his Flight Engineer License in January 1960, and then began working with Fairey Aviation converting the Mars to firefighting water bombers, which were then operated out of Sproat Lake, Vancouver Island, BC .

The conversion of the remaining two Mars aircraft was completed in 1963, and they continued firefighting for about the next 50 years, operated by FIFT and then in 2007 by Coulson Flying Tankers.

After 10 years of negotiations by Christensen with de Havilland Canada, they selected Viking Air as their sole parts producer and distributor for Beaver and Otter aircraft.

[32] After retirement, Christensen maintained a current AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer) license, and continued to provide assistance and advice in response to requests he received from around the world.

As the founder of Viking Air Ltd., his legacy has continued the work of de Havilland Canada in contributing to the Canadian aviation industry.

"[38] February, 2012, was made an "Honorary Citizen" of the city of Wetaskiwin, Alberta where the Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame is based.

[44] In 1946, Christensen met his future wife, Sheila Wolfenden, in England while he was attending Engine Instructors' School and she worked in the British Air Ministry.

Sheila is the daughter of Wing Commander William Wolfenden, OBE, who served with the Royal Air Force during the First and Second World Wars.

His Celebration of Life in Sidney, BC was attended by Brigadier Tom Guttormsen, Head of Veterans Affairs for Norway; and Norwegian Honorary Consul Steinar Engeset from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as well as many colleagues and friends.

As was noted by Minister Counselor Svenningsen during the 2012 CAHF induction ceremony, Mr. Christensen was a true hero of both Norway and Canada, a feat not easily repeated.