Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest local airport and aviation news delivered right into your inbox each week!

News Updates
Michael Huerta, Former Administrator of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Delta Air Lines Board Member

Joby Appoints Former FAA Administrator and Delta Board Member Michael Huerta to the Company’s Board of Directors

March 25, 2023
Elise Eberwein accepts the CF Foundation’s Jena Award on March 23.

American Airlines Donates $1.1 Million to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

March 24, 2023
Delta Cargo unveils largest cooler facility at New York-JFK Airport

Delta Cargo Unveils Largest Cooler Facility at JFK Airport

March 24, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
Home»Aviation News»A Journey Through Long Island Aviation History
Aviation News

A Journey Through Long Island Aviation History

The Vin Fiz Flyer was the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast across the U.S., a journey that took almost three months.
Mike LentesBy Mike LentesDecember 6, 2017No Comments8 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Cal Rodgers’ “Vin Fiz” Flyer (a Wright Model EX biplane) takes off from Sheepshead Bay, Long Island on Sept. 17, 1911. It is the start of the first transcontinental flight across the U.S.

The year is 1911 and most Americans are concerned about the high cost of living.

The price of bread  has risen to 4 cents a loaf –  a quart of milk is now 8 cents – and if you have to grab lunch away from home, a hot beef sandwich costs 10 cents. The average annual income stands at $983 and the average work week is six 12-hour days! If you can afford one, a new car sets you back $750  – but you can say “fill ‘er up” with gas at 5 cents a gallon. And there is a flurry of new inventions like air conditioning and the electric potato peeler. And then there’s that “new fangled” flying machine built by those Wright brothers in Dayton, Ohio.

Only 2% of Americans had even seen an “aeroplane” in 1911; so  when the Wright biplane was scheduled to take off that September  afternoon at the Sheepshead Bay racetrack on Long Island, it was a must-see spectacle for the 2,000 New Yorkers waiting there. However, it wasn’t meant to be just “a short flight around the pea patch.” The pilot, Cal Rodgers, was bold enough to think he could fly coast-to-coast, and qualify for the $50,000 prize offered by Randolph Hearst to anyone who would make the flight in 30 days or less. It was considered to be a publicity stunt by Hearst since few thought it even possible. As Orville Wright told Rodgers: “I’ll sell you one of our ‘aeroplanes’ but they’re not meant for that kind of punishment – you won’t make it as far as Chicago.” While others said “not possible” – Rodgers said “why not?”

Vin Fiz American transcontinental flight advertisement poster.

Just 3 months earlier, after only 90 minutes of instruction at the Wright Flying School in Dayton, Rodgers soloed and proclaimed: “A man could become drunk with flying. Everything I’ve done up until now doesn’t matter.” He immediately bought a “Model B” from the Wright brothers and spent that summer barnstorming. At a flying contest in Chicago, Rodgers was awarded first place for most-time- aloft and attracted the attention of J. Ogden Armour, owner of the Vin Fiz Company. Armour wanted to introduce his new Vin Fiz grape soda to the country and agreed to sponsor the flight, after a 20 minute conversation with Rodgers. Armour would pay him $5 for each mile flown east of the Mississippi and $4 west of the river in return for advertising the grape drink. It was the first-ever flying billboard. Painted on the underwing was: “VIN FIZ – THE IDEAL GRAPE DRINK .”

The Vin Fiz Company also provided a train with a private Pullman car for Rodgers and his wife to stay in each night. A second “hangar” car carried several “mechanicians” and was loaded with various spare parts purchased from the Wright brothers to repair the Vin Fiz while en route. In addition, the second car contained a Palmer-Singer automobile that would be used to locate and retrieve the pilot at the end of each day’s flight.

The third rail car was a day coach for photographers and newspaper reporters who filed daily reports on the flight’s progress. Local reporters would climb aboard and travel with the train long enough to get the latest news, then return to their hometown and write stories on the flight that everyone was talking about. Since there were no aerial charts or navigation aids in 1911, Rodgers used the railroad tracks as his “iron compass” and at the same time keeping him close to his support train – The Vin Fiz Special.

The racetrack at Sheepshead Bay was chosen for the starting point because the straightaway provided a smooth “runway” required by the flying machine and the fence kept out gate-crashers not willing to pay $1.50 to see the Wright “aeroplane” up close. Rodgers caught a few hours of restless sleep at the Montague Hotel at 32nd Street and Broadway – known for its “modern porcelain washing and bathroom facilities” – before heading to the racetrack where the anxious crowd had gathered. As he passed through the throng, everyone cheered the “birdman” but for one wag who yelled: “Get a horse!”

After much hand-wringing, hugs and wishes for good luck from his wife and family – and answering endless questions from New York City newspaper reporters – the 6’ 4” Rodgers climbed aboard. Since seat belts had not yet been invented, he settled onto the 12 inch square “drivers seat” which was covered in corduroy so he wouldn’t slide around so easily while airborne. The only onboard “navigation instrument” was an 8” string from his wife’s corset that was attached to a cross wire in front of him to indicate when the aircraft was in a climb, a descent or a bank.

When finished adjusting the magneto and compression controls, he signaled for his crew to pull down on the 2 propellers as he yelled, “Start ‘er up, boys.” The engine noise and exhaust smoke was cheered by the restless audience who were there to witness an historic event. The 10HP Wright engine had 2 speeds – full speed ahead and off – so several wing men held back the shuddering  biplane until Rodgers flashed the sign to let “ole Betsy” go.  After a short takeoff roll, plane and pilot were aloft on a journey that was to be the media event of 1911. The handsome, charismatic Rodgers would capture the attention of the nation during his state by state, ocean-to-ocean adventure.   

Circling back over the crowd at the Sheepshead Bay racetrack, he let loose several hundred leaflets advertising his trans-continental flight and the benefits of drinking Vin Fiz. The cards read: “GREETINGS FROM THE SKY – RODGERS IN THE VIN FIZ FLYER – FROM NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES FOR HEARST $50,000 OCEAN TO OCEAN FLIGHT – VIN FIZ – THE IDEAL GRAPE DRINK – REFRESHING AND INVIGORATING – 5¢ – SOLD EVERYWHERE.” He continued north, passing over the bandstand at Brooklyn’s  Prospect Park where people waved and yelled encouragement. Thousands more on the rooftops and in the streets of Manhattan cheered as Rodgers passed overhead at 200 feet. Children didn’t know what to do – they just gawked. Rodgers was finally on his way and could only guess at what lie ahead.

The first leg of 110 miles from Long Island to Middletown, NY, was uneventful but the next day’s flight was quite another story. On takeoff that morning, Rodgers maneuvered to avoid some telegraph lines but, in so doing, the aircraft clipped a tree and plunged into a chicken coop. Although he was unhurt, several of the chickens weren’t so lucky. After ordering more parts from the Wright brothers and grounded 3 days for repairs, the Wright Vin Fiz was ready again to continue on what was to become an eventful flight.

It was a challenge for Rodgers and his crew to keep spectators away from the aircraft when it landed because, in their enthusiasm, they would paw it and often try to snatch a souvenir. In New Mexico, the gas cap from the aircraft was grabbed as a trophy by a youthful spectator, so a local grocer donated a large potato to take its place. Another “incident” occurred in Ohio where Rodgers had to make an emergency landing in an oat field. Upset, the farmer demanded $25 for crop damage but Rodgers had no cash. Spectators “passed the hat” and collected $4. At locations where he was expected to land, warnings were posted on trees and fence posts. “NOTICE: Owing to the great speed with which a flying machine travels, it continues fully 100 feet after alighting on the ground. If anyone is injured by disregarding this warning, both the Vin Fiz Co. and Mr. Rodgers disclaim all blame for the accident.”

There were other “mishaps” along the way – some amusing – none fatal. After 12 crashes and 70 landings in a dozen different states, Rodgers touched down in California at Long Beach with both ankles in casts and crutches strapped to the side of the battered Wright biplane. The injuries were caused in an earlier crash at Compton. The weary but happy – bruised but not broken – pilot was greeted by 50,000 enthusiastic admirers. As Rodgers later said: “Many said it was foolhardy to attempt such a flight. Foolhardy? Well I hardly think I’m a fool but I do admit there’s no quit in me! I told my guys as long as they kept on repairing the Vin Fiz after each crash, I’d keep on flying. Fix ‘er up boys.”

The Vin Fiz Flyer on display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2012.

Although he didn’t complete the flight in the required 30 days to qualify for the $50,000 Hearst prize, the $5 per mile agreement with the Vin Fiz Company came to $23,000 – the equivalent of more than $550,000 today. The 32-year-old Rodgers was a national celebrity and is now enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame at Dayton, Ohio.

The Wright Vin Fiz was restored in 1961 by the Smithsonian Institution in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the flight. A limited supply of the original wing fabric preserved from that restoration is available at www.aviationrelics.com along with a signed Certificate of Authenticity from the National Air and Space Museum where the Vin Fiz can be seen today.

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Mike Lentes
  • Website

First as a Civil Air Patrol cadet – then as a pilot – Mike found that “altitude affects attitude.” With that in mind, his focus now is to interest the next generation in aviation and is founding a weekend av camp in northern Arizona for kids – Little Brothers. He is also active in his aviation business and spends time writing about its history when not hiking in the mountains.

RELATED NEWS & UPDATES

Ferrovial and Eve Air Mobility Team Up On Urban Air Traffic In the U.S and Europe

March 23, 2023

American Airlines Leading the Way With Women in Aviation

March 16, 2023
Viridos' technology extracts algae oil from algae for potential future production of sustainable aviation fuel

United Invests $5 Million in Algae-based Fuel Producer Viridos

March 13, 2023
Universal Hydrogen Successfully Completes First Flight of Hydrogen Regional Airliner

Universal Hydrogen Successfully Completes First Flight of Hydrogen Regional Airliner

March 3, 2023
LUFTHANSA A350

Lufthansa Orders 10 Airbus A350-1000 and 5 more A350-900 Aircraft

March 2, 2023
Modern Aviation Commits to Achieving Carbon Neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 Emissions by 2050

Modern Aviation Commits to Achieving Carbon Neutrality for Scope 1 & 2 Emissions by 2050

February 16, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

AIRPORT & AVIATION EVENTS
Civil Air Patrol Falcon Squadron Meeting
March 27, 2023
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport-(JFK)
Jamaica, New York
LGA Airport Hiring Event
March 28, 2023
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
  • LaGuardia Airport-(LGA)
East Elmhurst, New York
FDU Master of Public Administration Open House
March 28, 2023
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport-(JFK)
Port Authority Building
Jamaica, New York
  • >> More Airport & Aviation Events

Subscribe for Weekly Email Updates

Get the latest local airport news, events, and jobs delivered right into your inbox each week.

Metropolitan Airport News provides timely news, information and updates for both Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees and businesses that provide services at, and around the major New York airports (JFK, LGA, EWR).

John F. Kennedy International Airport
PO Box 300877
Jamaica, NY 11430 USA
Phone: (347) 396-0904
Email Us

Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
MARCH 2023 ISSUE
Metropolitan Airport News March 2023
LATEST COMMENTS
  • Julia Lauria-Blum on Larger Than Life
  • Robert lee on Jane Mrosko
  • Jerelyn Zontini on Larger Than Life
  • Tom Krpata on The Golden Age of Airline Employment
  • About Us
  • Advertising Options
  • Charitable Giving Program
  • Back Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Airport Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.