Want to ask a question? Tell us something?
Arrange a showing of one of our airplanes? Ping:
mailto:[email protected]
Meanwhile:
How about a
little music?
We have a selection of tunes
that were popular during the first days of aviation, performed by Sue
Keller, courtesy the Ragtime Press:
| Alexander's
Ragtime Band Irving Berlin 1911 |
|
| Aviation
Rag Mark Janza 1905 |
|
| Maple
Leaf Rag Scott Joplin 1909 |
|
| St.
Louis Rag Tom Turpin 1903 |
|
| Waiting
for the Robert E. Lee Gilbert/Muir 1912 |
I endure. I conquer.
-- Inscription on the gravestone of Cal Rodgers.
On September 16, 1911, pilot Calbraith Perry Rodgers took off in a Wright Model EX, the Vin Fiz, from Sheepshead Bay, New York. Eighty-four days and 4,231 miles later, he landed at Long Beach, California and wet the wheels of the Vin Fiz in the Pacific surf. He was the first person ever to cross the North American continent -- or any continent -- in an airplane.
Nearly a century later, a group of modern-day aviators are getting ready to recreate Rodger's historic flight, crossing the United States in two replicas of the Vin Fiz. They will follow Rodgers meandering course across the United States, flying from Sheepshead to Long Beach via Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Tucson, Phoenix, and Pasadena. Unlike Rodgers, however, who was racing across the country, this group will take their time to make stops and detours that Rodgers never considered. The purpose of the re-enactment isn't to win a race, but to honor the memory of the Wright Brothers, create pride in our aviation heritage, and foster awareness of the Centennial of Flight in 2003.
The Flight of the Vin Fiz is the vision of Dana Smith, an aeronautical engineer, pilot, and IA (FAA certified aircraft inspector) and Ken Whiting, a retired Coast Guard pilot -- both from Maine. Several years ago, Dana and Ken set the wheels (and wings) in motion to recreate Cal Rodgers' historic flight. There are three important elements to their ambitious program:
Cal Rodgers, with his ever-present cigar. (He even smoked as he flew.)
The "Vin Fiz," a 1911 Wright Model EX,
takes to the air.
Dana Smith, team leader of The Flight of the Vin
Fiz.
Dana and Ken's replica of the 1911 Wright Model EX, the
"Vin Fiz."
 | The Tale of the Vin Fiz — Dana and Ken have studied every known detail of the first transcontinental flight. You cannot appreciate the magnitude of Cal Rodgers' accomplishment or explain it to a contemporary audience without knowing a little history. Today we fly across the United States in a few hours with no more inconvenience than insufficient legroom and bad food. Cal made the trip in 84 days, flying an aircraft that literally shook itself apart in the air. On several occasions he had to hold a spark plug or a magneto in place to keep the engine running! There were no airports, no runways, no navigational aids, not even a package of stale peanuts. He was exposed to biting cold, thunderstorms, and hour after hour of a 50-mile-an-hour wind hitting him square in the face. Even the Wright brothers, who themselves had an abundant supply of courage and tenacity, cautioned Cal that they didn't think that the airplane or the flying arts were sufficiently developed to make the trip. But he made it anyway. He survived 5 major crashes, broke 20 skids, replaced 18 entire wings, and repaired the engine almost every time he landed, but he made it. His accomplishment was an incredible triumph of the human spirit over truly insurmountable odds and remains one of the proudest moments in our pioneer aviation heritage. |
The start of the journey -- Cal launches from Sheepshead Bay on Long Island, New York.
The Vin Fiz wrecked in Middleton, New York.
Wetting the wheels in the surf at Long Beach,
California.
| On the Vin Fiz Trail — Dana and Ken have mapped out the historic trip and the 76 locations that Cal Rodgers visited. In doing so, they have determined that it's no longer possible to trace Cal's flight precisely. Many of the fields where Cal landed in 1911 now hold housing developments, shopping malls, and other trappings of progress. The flying arts have also progressed, and with them have come regulations that prevent an aviator from following the exact route. Instead, Dana and his crew will follow the approximate route, taking more time and visiting more cities to allow as many people as possible a chance to see the Vin Fiz and hear it's amazing story. |
The meandering route of the Vin Fiz across America. The loops indicate where Cal became lost.
| Building the Vin Fiz — While the flight path that Dana, Ken, and their crew will follow may deviate somewhat from Cal Rodgers' historic route, the airplanes that fly it will be as close to history as possible. Dana, who has restored dozens of historic aircraft during his career, has carefully resurrected the obscure history of the Wright Model EX, first building an early 1910 model similar to the airplane Wilbur Wright flew around the Statue of Liberty. Now he and Ken have completed a 1911 model, the same as Cal Rodgers flew. When they are finished, they will have two complete reproductions of the Vin Fiz and the parts for two more with which to make the journey. |
Dana and Ken's replica 1910 Wright EX.
The 1909 Wright EX which Wilbur Wright flew around
the Statue of Liberty.
| Been There, Done That -- Dana and Ken are not the first to trace the route of Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz across America. Several pilots have made the flight in modern aircraft and ultralights. Perhaps the best known of these is Henry Kisor, who made his journey in a Cessna 150, dubbed Gin Fizz. Henry shares a special bond with Cal Rodgers. Like the pioneer aviator, Henry is deaf, his hearing destroyed by a childhood illness. Henry has graced us with a thought-provoking essay on what he and Cal Rodgers accomplished with their transcontinental flight. |
Henry Kisor in the cockpit of the Gin Fizz.
To contact Dana and Ken, ping: mailto:[email protected]
