The Hearst prize was a US$50,000 aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

 prize

Prize money

Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...

 offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...

 in 1910 to the first aviator to fly coast to coast across the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in either direction, in fewer than 30 days from start to finish.

History

James J. Ward

James J. Ward

James J. Ward was a pioneer aviator who made one of the earliest attempts at transcontinental flight.-Biography:He flew a Curtiss Model D pusher biplane named the "Hearst Pathfinder". On September 13, 1911 he attempted to win the William Randolph Hearst Prize flying from Governors Island in New...

 attempted to win the prize but failed. The prize expired in November 1911 with no winner. Calbraith Perry Rodgers

Calbraith Perry Rodgers

Calbraith Perry Rodgers was an American pioneer aviator. He made the first transcontinental airplane flight across the U.S. from September 17, 1911 to November 5, 1911, with dozens of stops, both intentional and accidental...

 tried to win it, having started too late, but did complete the flight in 49 days, including several crash landings and maintenance delays. Another notable contender was Robert George Fowler

Robert George Fowler

Robert Grant Fowler was an early aviation pioneer and was the first person to have a transcontinental flight.- Hearst prize :...

.