This is the first aircraft to fly across the United States, piloted by Cal Rodgers. Rodgers persuaded J. Ogden Armour to sponsor the transcontinental flight; in return the plane was named after Armour's new grape soft drink, "VIN FIZ". Rodgers became the first private citizen to own a Wright airplane. A support team followed the flight in a three-car train called the Vin Fiz Special. Charlie Taylor, the Wright Brother's chief mechanic, was part of this team. The train included a "hangar" car with spare parts and tools, as well as, an automobile for transportation to and from landing/crash sites. The flight started from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911. The trip included 75 stops and 16 crashes, of varying severity. On Nov. 12th, Cal took off from Pasadena for Long Beach, but crashed at Compton, and suffered a concussion and other injuries. He was hospitalized for three weeks. Finally, on December 10, he landed on the beach at Long Beach, and taxied the "VIN FIZ" into the Pacific Ocean, completing a journey of over 4,321 miles. Actual flying time was approximately 82 hours. According to the following book, the "VIN FIZ" had been rebuilt so many times, the only original part remining on the aeroplane when it reached Long Beach, was the rudder and the engine drip pan.
Ironically, Rodgers was killed in a crash in his Wright Model B on April 3, 1912 at Long Beach within a few hundred yards form where his transcontinental flight ended. It is claimed in the book listed below, that this accident was caused by a collision with a flock of seagulls. The dead body of a seagull was found wedged between the fuselage and the rudder.
FYI, the first known bird strike occoured on Sept 7, 1905 when Wilbur Wright flying over Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio, struck a bird flock. One was killed, believed to be a Red-winged blackbird.
Cal Rodgers was one of the unsung record breaking pilots in the time between the Wright Brothers and Lindbergh's transatlantic flight.
Reference:
Cal Rodgers and the VIN FIZ, The First Transcontinental Flight by Eileen F. Lebow, published by the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989
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National Air & Space Museum Washington, DC, Jan 2014
