Otto Kalvitsa (Russian: Отто Артурович Кальвиц, 21 November 1888 – 7 March 1930[1][2]) was a Finnish-born Soviet aviator and a polar explorer.

In 1907–1912, Kalvitsa sailed on the ships of the Finland Steamship Company and finally finished his studies in 1913, graduating as a steam engine operator.

[1] Kalvitsa was sentenced for 10 years in prison, but in January 1919, he managed to escape from the forced labour camp in Vyborg and fled to Russia.

[2] Graduating in 1920, Kalvitsa became one of the nine Finnish pilots who served the Baltic Fleet Air Force in the Russian Civil War.

In August 1925, Kalvitsa made his first arctic flight as he flew with the Russian pilot Boris Chudnovsky from Leningrad via Arkhangelsk to Novaya Zemlya.

A year later, Kalvitsa was transferred to Irkutsk where he earned the nickname ″Wolf of the North″, due to his skillful flying in extreme weather conditions.

[2] On 5 March 1930, Kalvitsa was ordered to fly medical supplies to Bulun for Cheka officers who were injured in an occurring uprising.

Two days later, Kalvitsa took off from Yakutsk with the intention of flying to Bulan via Zhigansk, but in a heavy snow storm his Junkers W 33 crashed to the ice of the Lena River near the village of Sangar.