| In 1911, Calbraith "Cal"
Rodgers became the first pilot to fly coast-to-coast across
the United States. His inspiration to do so was fame,
adventure and the $50,000 prize offered by newspaper
publisher and aviation enthusiast William Randolph Hearst.
Sponsored by a popular grape soft drink known as "Vin
Fiz", Cal took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York on
September 17, 1911 and landed forty-nine days later in
Pasadena, California. The "Vin Fiz" crashed
several times and was repaired so often that when it arrived
in California the only original parts of the machine
remaining were the vertical rudder and two wing
struts. Cal’s apparent indestructibility earned the
nick-name of "Iron Man" after his historic
flight. Sadly he was killed in an accident on April 3,
1912 in the "Vin Fiz" approximately 100 yards from
where he made his final landing of the transcontinental
flight.
|
| Country: |
U.S.A. – 1911 |
|
(reproduction) |
| Year: |
|
| Engine: |
|
| Horsepower: |
35 HP Wright |
| Quantity Mfg: |
|
| Wingspan: |
31’-6" |
(9.60 m) |
| Length: |
21’-5" |
(6.53 m) |
| Top Speed: |
52 mph |
(83.66 km/hr) |
| Gross Weight: |
903 lbs. |
(410 kg) |
| Ceiling: |
|
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