First Transcontinental Flight US

September 17, 1911

Pilot Cal Rodgers takes off from New York City and begins the first transcontinental flight across the United States. He hoped to win a $50,000 prize by completing the trip in 30 days. Rodgers departed from a field in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at 4:30 p.m. on September 17, 1911.

The 33 year old pilot had only 60 hours of flying experience in his log book.
His aircraft was the Wright Flyer Model EX. It was as flimsy as a kite and could only do 50 to 60 mph with its 35-horsepower engine.

The Publishing mogule William Randolph Hearst had put up a $ 50 000 prize for the first person who could fly coast to coast in an airplane in less than 30 days.

The prize would be worth more than $ 1.1 million USD in today’s money. Rodgers became the first private citizen to buy a Wright airplane. After just 90 minutes of instruction from Orville Wright himself, Rodgers flew solo for the first time in June 1911.

Rodgers could not fund the trip himself, and he found a sponsor in Ogden Armour, a meatpacking tycoon who wanted to promote a new grape soda drink.

The aircraft, "Vin Fiz", named after the grape drink, departed New York. It headed west following roads and railroad tracks on a journey many said would end at the Hudson River just a few miles ahead. On his his first leg, Rodgers managed to fly more than 100 miles and he landed in a field in Middletown, New York.

The 30-day deadline passed, and Rodgers did not win the prize.
However Rodgers wanted to complete the trip, and continued together with his mechanics and supporters.

The aircraft made more than 70 stops before landing at the designated goal in Pasadena, California, on November 5.

Rodgers had missed the deadline by 19 days.

Rodgers made more than 15 crash landings and numerous hospital visits during the trip. The plane had been repaired and rebuilt so many times during the trip, so not much of the original aircraft made it to California.

Rodgers suffered numerous injuries during the flight: a broken leg, shrapnel in his arm from a blown cylinder, and many cuts, scrapes and bruises.

After an amazing 82 hours in the air, Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz had completed the first-ever crossing of the United States by an airplane. More than 20,000 people gathered in Pasadena to witness Rodgers and his plane finish their flight.

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