Corrigan's wrong-way flight
Corrigan's wrong-way flight refers to the unexpected journey of aviator Douglas Corrigan, who, after successfully flying from Long Beach, California, to New York in a record time of 27 hours and 50 minutes, inadvertently embarked on a transatlantic crossing to Dublin, Ireland. Upon landing in Dublin's Baldonnel Airport, Corrigan approached airport workers to inquire about his location, expressing confusion over his unintended destination. His flight, which took place in July 1938, drew significant attention, especially as it coincided with Howard Hughes's highly publicized around-the-world flight. Despite having previously sought permission for a transatlantic journey, his aircraft was considered unsuitable, leading to skepticism about his intentions. Corrigan claimed that a misreading of his compass resulted in the flight error. This incident turned him into an overnight sensation, resulting in over a million people attending a ticker-tape parade in New York to celebrate his flight. Following this, he toured the United States, receiving numerous awards and honors. Corrigan’s journey remains a notable and intriguing moment in aviation history, highlighting the blend of ambition and serendipity in early flight endeavors.
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Corrigan's wrong-way flight
The Event Journey from New York to Ireland by an American aviator who meant to fly to California
Date July 18, 1938
Places Long Island, New York, to Dublin, Ireland
Aviator Douglas Corrigan captured the imagination of Americans when he landed a plane in Dublin, Ireland. He had purchased the Curtiss-Robin monoplane for $325 and rebuilt the craft himself from scrap parts. He left from Long Island, New York, about twenty-eight hours before landing in Dublin without weather information, maps, a parachute, or a radio. Corrigan claimed to have misread his compass. He always maintained he was intending to fly to California.
Touching down at Dublin’s Baldonnel Airport, Corrigan approached Irish airport workers, asking where he had landed. With an understated admission of his confusion, Corrigan initiated an unlikely chain of events that culminated in his sudden, worldwide celebrity.
A barnstorming pilot, a flying instructor, and an aviation mechanic, Corrigan had flown his plane nonstop from Long Beach, California, to New York, setting a solo record of 27 hours and 50 minutes for the 2,700-mile flight. Corrigan arrived in New York on July 10, 1938, which was the same day millionaire Howard Hughes and his crew departed the city on their around-the-world flight. Corrigan’s accomplishment was overshadowed by the publicity surrounding Hughes’s trip.
Corrigan had repeatedly requested permission for a transatlantic flight, but his aircraft was deemed unsuitable and given an experimental certification only. Because of his requests, many believed Corrigan was lying about not intending to cross the Atlantic. Corrigan, however, never admitted to misleading anyone. Instead, he claimed pilot error in misreading his compass.
It had been eleven years since Charles A. Lindbergh’s first transatlantic flight in his plane, Spirit of St. Louis, which had been built in San Diego. Corrigan was a member of the team that had built Lindbergh’s plane. In fact, Corrigan removed the chocks from the front of Lindbergh’s plane as it left San Diego for St. Louis.
Impact
In the intervening years between Lindbergh’s famous flight and Corrigan’s supposed mishap, several pilots, including Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, had made a transatlantic flight. Few aviators, however, seemed to catch the spark of public recognition that Corrigan received. More than one million New Yorkers turned out for a ticker-tape parade to honor the errant pilot. Afterward, Corrigan flew his plane around the United States, where he was given awards and honored with parades in city after city.
Bibliography
Corrigan, Douglas. That’s My Story. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1938.
Fyn, Chip. “The Story of Wrong Way Corrigan.” Fiddler’s Green, April, 2003.