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Aviation history in the making...
Aviation history in the making...
Item # 719019
May 17, 1919
THE NEW YORK TIMES, May 17, 1919
* NC-4 flying boat (historic aviation feat)
* Transatlantic flight (1st aircraft to achieve this)
The front page has a nice banner headline: "ALL THREE SEAPLANES NEARING THE AZORES; NC-4 WAS 800 MILES OUT AT 3:06 THIS MORNING" with many subheads and related map. (see) Much more on the following pages with related pictorial. Loads of text. This event was very significant at the time, but was overshadowed just a few week later when Alcock & Brown made the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight, and then of course the first non-stop solo flight by Lindbergh 8 years later. Always nice to have notable events in history reported in this World famous publication.
Other news, sports and advertisements of the day. Complete with all 24 pages, light toning at the margins, a little irregular along the spine, nice condition.
background: In May 1919, the U.S. Navy’s NC-4 flying boat became the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean, marking a groundbreaking achievement in aviation history. Designed by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in collaboration with the Navy, the NC-4 was a large, four-engine seaplane crewed by six men and commanded by Lt. Commander Albert C. Read. The journey began on May 8 from Rockaway, New York, and proceeded in several legs through Chatham (Massachusetts), Halifax (Nova Scotia), and Trepassy Bay (Newfoundland), before undertaking the most challenging segment to the Azores Islands. After enduring dense fog and navigation difficulties—where the other two aircraft in the squadron, NC-1 and NC-3, were forced to land or divert—the NC-4 successfully continued to Lisbon, Portugal, on May 27, and finally reached Plymouth, England, on May 31. The 4,500-mile journey, completed in roughly 54 hours of flight time over 23 days, was guided by a chain of U.S. Navy ships stationed along the route to provide navigation and rescue support. Though not a non-stop flight, the NC-4’s successful crossing demonstrated the potential of long-range air travel and set the stage for future transatlantic aviation.
Category: The 20th Century
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