Transcontinental flight
Encyclopedia
In the United States the term Transcontinental flight is travelling by air coast-to-coast over the continental United States
.
to win the Hearst prize
offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst
. He offered a $US 50,000 prize to the first aviator to fly coast to coast, in either direction, in less than 30 days from start to finish. Rodgers persuaded J. Ogden Armour
, of Armour and Company
, to sponsor the flight, and in return he named the plane after Armour's grape soft drink "Vin Fiz".
Previous attempts was made by Henry Atwood and by James J. Ward
. Rodgers left from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911 at 4:30 pm. He crossed the Rocky Mountains on November 5, 1911 and landed at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California at 4:04, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. He had missed the prize deadline by 19 days. On December 10, 1911 he landed at Long Beach, California and symbolically taxied his plane into the Pacific Ocean. He had carried the first transcontinental mail pouch and was accompanied on the ground by a support crew that repaired and rebuilt the plane after each crash landing. The trip required 70 stops. His flight was followed by Robert George Fowler
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The first transcontinental flight across the United States was made by Calbraith Perry RodgersCalbraith 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...
to win the Hearst prize
Hearst prize
The Hearst prize was a US$50,000 aviation prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1910 to the first aviator to fly coast to coast across the United States, in either direction, in fewer than 30 days from start to finish.-History:...
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...
. He offered a $US 50,000 prize to the first aviator to fly coast to coast, in either direction, in less than 30 days from start to finish. Rodgers persuaded J. Ogden Armour
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour was an American meatpacking magnate in Chicago, and owner and president of Armour and Company. During his tenure as president, Armour & Co...
, of Armour and Company
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
, to sponsor the flight, and in return he named the plane after Armour's grape soft drink "Vin Fiz".
Previous attempts was made by Henry Atwood and by 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...
. Rodgers left from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911 at 4:30 pm. He crossed the Rocky Mountains on November 5, 1911 and landed at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California at 4:04, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. He had missed the prize deadline by 19 days. On December 10, 1911 he landed at Long Beach, California and symbolically taxied his plane into the Pacific Ocean. He had carried the first transcontinental mail pouch and was accompanied on the ground by a support crew that repaired and rebuilt the plane after each crash landing. The trip required 70 stops. His flight was followed by 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 :...
Timeline
- 1911 James J. WardJames J. WardJames 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...
, failed attempt - 1911 Henry Atwood, failed attempt
- 1911 Calbraith Perry RodgersCalbraith Perry RodgersCalbraith 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...
start: September 17, 1911 at 4:30 pm; finish: December 10, 1911 - 1912 (circa) Robert George FowlerRobert George FowlerRobert Grant Fowler was an early aviation pioneer and was the first person to have a transcontinental flight.- Hearst prize :...
- 1930 Frank HawksFrank HawksFrank Monroe Hawks served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was known during the 1920s and 1930s as a record breaking aviator, using a series of Texaco-sponsored aircraft, setting 214 point-to-point records in the United States and Europe...
in April - 1933 First through airline flights for passengers (i.e. no overnight stops, no change of plane)
- 1934 First three-stop airline flights (TWA DC-2s)
- 1946 First one-stop airline flights (United DC-4s, TWA Constellations)
- 1953 First sustained nonstop airline flights (TWA may have flown some LA-NY nonstops in 1947)
- 1957 then-MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
John H. Glenn, Jr.John GlennJohn Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, USMCUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, on 16 JulyLos Alamitos Army AirfieldLos Alamitos Army Airfield is a military airport located one mile southeast of central Los Alamitos, and within its city limits, in Orange County, California, USA.- Facilities :Los Alamitos Army Airfield has two runways:...
See also
- Transcontinental airspeed record
- Flight altitude recordFlight altitude recordThese are the records set for going the highest in the atmosphere from the age of ballooning onward. Some records are certified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.-Fixed-wing aircraft:-Piston-driven propeller aeroplane:...
- Transcontinental railroadTranscontinental railroadA transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
- Dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight across the United States