15 Jan 25:
NC-4, in the first photo below, was the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic back in May of 1919, flying from Rockaway, New York to Plymouth, England with a few stops along the way. The photo was taken in October 1919 at the Navy Wharf in Washington, DC.
What is more amazing beyond the Transatlantic crossing was the logistics effort to disassemble the aircraft, safely return it to the US in a ship, reassemble and then launch on a publicity tour of the Eastern US. That's a lot of parts and pieces to keep track of. We also like the little sightseeing canoe in the photo, reminds us of something Capn Jack and Audrey would do.
NC-1 is shown here flying near Rockaway, she made it almost all the way to the Azores, and had to be abandoned at sea after being damaged in a landing, with the crew safely aboard a support ship.
We also enjoy seeing photos of the maintenance crew and flight crew, working together to make it all happen. Check out the flight crew's gear, we really didn't have aircrew flight clothing back then, so oilskins and thick long johns were the uniform of the day. The pilots could hide behind a tiny piece of glass in their open cockpit, while the navigator poked his head out of the bow cupola to take sightings with his aerial sextant. Meanwhile the Flight Engineer worked from engine to engine on the wing, checking oil and water, adjusting timing, etc...Hard core.
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