A transcontinental flight is a non-stop passenger flight from one side of a continent to the other.[1] The term usually refers to flights across the United States, between the East and West Coasts.

History

The first transcontinental multi-stop flight across the United States was made in 1911 by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in an attempt to win the Hearst prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst. Hearst offered a $US50,000 prize to the first aviator to fly coast to coast, in either direction, in less than 30 days from start to finish. Previous attempts by James J. Ward and Henry Atwood had been unsuccessful.[2]

Rodgers persuaded J. Ogden Armour, of Armour and Company, to sponsor the flight, and in return he named the plane after Armour's grape soft drink "Vin Fiz". Rodgers left from Sheepshead Bay, New York, on September 17, 1911, at 4:30 pm, carrying the first transcontinental mail pouch. He crossed the Rocky Mountains on November 5, 1911, and landed at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California, at 4:04 pm, in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. He had missed the prize deadline by 19 days. He was accompanied on the ground by a support crew that repaired and rebuilt the plane after each crash landing. The trip required 70 stops.

On December 10, 1911, he flew to Long Beach, California, and symbolically taxied his plane into the Pacific Ocean.

Timeline of early transcontinental flights

Transcontinental air speed record

In-flight and on-ground time are counted after the earliest flights

Year Date Time Direction Pilot Aircraft Notes and reference
1911September 173 days, 10 hours, 14 minutesEast to WestCalbraith Perry RodgersVin Fiz FlyerThe first transcontinental flight. It took fifty days (3 days, 10 hours, 14 minutes actual flying time). Rodgers made it in some seventy hops, flying a Wright biplane which was damaged and repaired so many times en route that nothing remained of the original machine at the finish but the drip pan and the vertical rudder.
1919October 113 days, 3 hours, 5 minutes East to WestBelvin W. MaynardDH-4On the first leg of the "Transcontinental Air Race of 1919" which saw 33 planes cross the U.S. with 8 completing the round-trip (out of 67 which began the trip). Nine deaths occurred during what was officially the U.S. Army's "Transcontinental Reliability and Endurance Test"
1922September 421 hours, 19 minutesEast to WestJimmy DoolittleDH-4Pablo Beach, Florida, to San Diego, California, with only one refueling stop
1923May 2–326 hours, 50 minutes, 38.4 secondsEast to WestLt John A. Macready and Lt Oakley G. KellyFokker T-2First nonstop transcontinental flight: Roosevelt Field, Long Island to Rockwell Field, North Island, San Diego. Longest straight-line distance covered nonstop until then[13]
1924June 2320 hours, 48 minutesEast to WestRussell MaughanCurtiss P-1 HawkFirst transcontinental flight "during hours of daylight". New York City to San Francisco, average speed 128 miles per hour
1929February 418 hours 22 minutesWest to EastFrank HawksLockheed Air ExpressLos Angeles Van Nuys to New York Roosevelt Field nonstop, 2481 miles, with mechanic/fueller Oscar Grubb
1929June 2719 hours, 10 minutesEast to WestFrank HawksLockheed Air Express[14]New York City to Los Angeles[15]
1929June 2817 hours, 36 minutesWest to EastFrank HawksLockheed Air ExpressLos Angeles to New York City
1929August 15120 hr 1 min 40 sec[16]West to East and East to WestNick Mamer and Art WalkerBuhl Airsedan "Spokane Sun-God"First non-stop transcontinental round-trip flight from Spokane, Washington to New York City and back
1930April 2014 hr 45 minWest to EastCharles A. LindberghLockheed SiriusLos Angeles (Glendale) to New York Roosevelt Field, one stop[17]
1930May 2718 hr 43 minEast to WestRoscoe TurnerLockheed Air ExpressNew York City to Los Angeles with 3 passengers.[18]
1930Aug 1312 hr 25 minWest to EastFrank HawksTravel Air "Mystery S"Los Angeles to New York City; three stops[19][20]
1931September 411 hr 16 min 10 secWest to EastJimmy Doolittle1931 Laird Super SolutionBurbank CA to Newark NJ, three stops
1932August 2910 hr 19 minWest to EastJimmy HaizlipWedell-Williams Model 44Burbank to New York Floyd Bennett; two stops. Completed after winning the 2nd annual Bendix Trophy race.[21]
1932November 1412 hr 33 minEast to WestRoscoe TurnerWedell-Williams Model 44New York Floyd Bennett to Burbank, California; three stops[22]
1933July 111 hr 30 minEast to WestRoscoe TurnerWedell-Williams Model 44New York Floyd Bennett to Burbank, California; four stops[23]
1933September 24–2510 hr 5 min 30 secWest to EastRoscoe TurnerWedell-Williams Model 44Burbank, California to New York Floyd Bennett; two stops[24]
1936January 139 hr 27 minWest to EastHoward HughesNorthrop Gamma[25] Burbank, California to Newark, New Jersey. Hughes took off from Burbank, California, on January 13, 1936, en route to Newark, New Jersey, and a new cross-country record. He made the flight in 9 hours, 27 minutes, 10 seconds, and bettered Roscoe Turner's mark by 36 minutes.
1937January 197 hr 28 min 25 secWest to EastHoward HughesHughes H-1 Racernonstop Burbank, California to overhead Newark Airport, NJ; 2445 miles
1939February 117 hr ? minWest to EastBenjamin S. KelseyXP-38[26]7 hr 43 min March Field, California to overhead Mitchel Field, New York including 41 min on ground at Amarillo and Dayton
1945January 96 hr 4 minWest to EastCurtin L. ReinhardtC-97 StratofreighterSeattle to Washington, D.C., average speed 0 mph Archived October 25, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
1945May 15 hr 40 minWest to EastNajeeb HalabyMuroc AFB to Patuxent River NAS Archived October 25, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
1945December5 hr 17 minWest to EastGlen Edwards and Lt. Col. Henry E. WardenXB-42 MixmasterCaptain Glen Edwards and Lt. Col. Henry E. Warden set a new transcontinental record flying the XB-42 from Long Beach, California to Bolling Field in Washington DC (2301 miles) in 5 hours 17 minutes, average 433.6 mph (697.8 km/h).
1945December5 hr 27 min 8 secWest to EastCol C. S. IrvineBoeing B-29Burbank, California to overhead Floyd Bennett Field, New York; average 450 miles/hour for 2459 miles
1946January 264 hr 13 min 26 secWest to EastCol W. H. CouncillLockheed P-80Long Beach, California to overhead La Guardia Airport, New York; 2460 miles nonstop, unrefuelled
1947September 37 hr 00 min 04 secEast to WestPaul MantzNorth American P-51La Guardia Airport, NY to Burbank, California, 2459 miles
1949February 83 hr 46 minWest to EastB-47 StratojetLarson AFB, Moses Lake, Washington to Andrews AFB near Washington DC, 607.8 mph average
1954January 24 hr 8 min 5 secWest to EastCol Willard MillikanNorth American F-86FLos Angeles LAX to overhead New York Floyd Bennett, 2468 miles; time includes fuel stop at Offutt AFB
1954March 304 hr 24 min 17 secWest to EastJoe DeBonaNorth American P-51CLos Angeles LAX nonstop to New York Idlewild, 2474 miles – still the prop record (560 mph)
1954April 13 hr 45 min 30 secWest to EastLtCdr Francis BradyGrumman F9F-7 CougarSan Diego North Island to New York Floyd Bennett, 2442 miles, nonstop, one refuelling
1955March 93 hr 46 min 33.6 secWest to EastLt Col Robert ScottRepublic F-84FLos Angeles LAX to overhead New York Floyd Bennett, 2468 miles; two aerial refuellings
1955May 215 hr 28 minEast to WestLieut John ConroyNorth American F-86New York Mitchel Field to Los Angeles Van Nuys, 2481 miles, three stops
1957March 215 hr 15 minEast to WestCdr Dale CoxDouglas A3Dnonstop unrefuelled New York Floyd Bennett to Los Angeles LAX
1957March 233 hr 39 min 24 secWest to EastDouglas A3DBurbank CA to overhead Miami MCAS, FL
1957May 193 hr 38 minWest to EastN American F-100FPalmdale CA to McGuire AFB, NJ
1957July 163 hr 23 min 8.4 secWest to EastMajor John H. Glenn, Jr., USMCVought F8U-1P Crusader"Project Bullet" non-stop from NAS Los Alamitos, California 2455 miles to Floyd Bennett Field, New York averaging Mach 1.1, despite three refuelings from AJ piston-engine tankers during which speed dropped below 300 mph. Glenn's on-board reconnaissance camera recorded the first continuous panoramic photograph of the United States.
1957November 273 hr 5 min 39.2 secWest to EastLieutenant Gustav Klatt[27]F-101 Voodoo"Operation Sun Run", RF-101C refuelled four times by KC-135s; Ontario, California to overhead Floyd Bennett Field, New York, 781.7 mph
1961May 242 hr 47 min 18 secWest to EastLieutenant Richard F. Gordon, Jr., U.S. NavyMcDonnell F4HOntario, California to overhead Floyd Bennett Field, New York; three aerial refuellings from A3Ds
1962March 52 hr 1 min 39 secWest to EastRobert G. SowersConvair B-58overhead Los Angeles to overhead New York; one aerial refuelling
1990March 61 hr 7 min 53.69 secWest to EastLt Col Ed Yeilding and Lt Col Joseph T. VidaSR-71A Blackbird

61-7972

On delivery flight to the Smithsonian Institution, where the aircraft is now on display at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy center, this SR-71 set the current transcontinental record. Yeilding and Vida crossed the west coast near Ventura, CA and, 2,404.5 miles later, crossed the east coast near Salisbury, MD averaging 2,124.51 mph
2003February 52 hr 56 min 20 secWest to EastSteve Fossett, Douglas TravisCessna Citation XSan Diego to Charleston SC, 2150 great-circle miles; fastest transcon flight by a subsonic aircraft
2003February 63 hr 51 min 52 secWest to EastSteve Fossett, Joseph RitchiePiaggio AvantiSan Diego to Charleston SC; fastest transcon flight by a turboprop
2003November 53 hr 55 min 12 secEast to WestMike Bannister and Les BroadieConcorde G-BOAGFlying to museum at retirement of the aircraft, New York to Seattle[28][29]

Junior transcontinental air speed record

For the junior record only in-flight time is counted at a certain speed

Year Date Time Pilot Aircraft Notes and reference
1928Richard James (aviator)Travel AirPrevious "record" of 48 hours, set last year by 18-year-old Richard James, was spread over a month elapsed time.
1930October 4, 1930East to West in 23 hours, 47 minutesRobert Nietzel BuckPitcairn PA-6 MailwingOn October 4, 1930, Robert beat the junior transcontinental air speed record of Eddie August Schneider in his PA-6 Pitcairn Mailwing he named "Yankee Clipper". His time was 23 hours, 47 minutes of elapsed flying time. Robert said on February 6, 2005: "I was the youngest to fly coast to coast and that record still stands. I had my license at 16 and after that, they raised the minimum age to 17. With that change, no one could break my record."
1930August 18, 1930East to West in 29 hours, 55 minutesEddie August SchneiderCessnaLeaving from Westfield, New Jersey on August 14, 1930, to Los Angeles, California in 4 days with a combined flying time of 29 hours and 55 minutes. He lowered the East to West record by 4 hours and 22 minutes. He then made the return trip from Los Angeles to Roosevelt Field, New York in 27 hours, 19 minutes, lowering the West to East record by 1 hour and 36 minutes. His total elapsed time for the round trip was 57 hours, 14 minutes.
1930East to West in 32 hours ? minutesFrank GoldsboroughCombined East to West and West to East in 62 hours and 58 minutes.[30]

Women's transcontinental air speed record

For the women's record, only in-flight time is counted

Year Date Time Pilot Aircraft Notes and reference
1930 13 hours, 21 minutesRuth Nichols
1933 13 hours, 7 minutes, 30 secondsAmelia Earhart
1934 10 hours, 5 minutesLaura Ingalls

See also

References

  1. "Transcontinental Flights | Alternative Airlines". www.alternativeairlines.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. "James J. Ward". earlyaviators.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  3. "Flier, Seeking to Reach San Francisco, Lands at Calicoon Late in the Afternoon". New York Times. September 15, 1911. Retrieved November 25, 2010. James J. Ward, who left New York for San Francisco Wednesday, flying for the W.R. Hearst $50,000 prize for a transcontinental flight, reached Callicoon, N.Y., a few miles from here, at 4:35 o'clock this afternoon. He covered 59 1–10 miles in 57 minutes, having left Middletown, N.Y., at 3:38 o'clock.
  4. "C. P. Rodgers' Aero Plunges into Surf at Long Beach. Hundreds See Tragedy. Hero of First Transcontinental Flight Victim of His Own Daring. When Lifted From Wrecked Machine His Neck Is Found to Be Broken. Birdman's Home in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Cousin of Lieut. Rodgers in Navy's Aerial Corps. Victim Author of Theory of 'Etherial Asphyxia.'". Washington Post. April 4, 1912. Long Beach, California, April 3, 1912. Calbraith P. Rodgers, the first man to cross the American continent in an aeroplane, was killed here almost instantly late today, when his biplane, in which he had been soaring over the ocean, fell from a height of 200 feet and buried him in the wreck. His neck was broken and his body mangled by the engine of his machine.
  5. Pattillo, Donald M. (February 28, 2001). Pushing the Envelope: The American Aircraft Industry. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 14. ISBN 9780472086719. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. "Fokker T-2". Collections. National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  7. Meister, Richard L. Jr. (2000). "The Flight of the Spokane Sun-God". Aerofiles. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  8. "Glider is Towed by Plane Across the Nation". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. 1930. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  9. http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/tw/tw3211/tw3211-3.jpg
  10. Merritt, Larry (2003). "From mail-sack seats to sleeping berths and above-cloud routes". Boeing Frontiers. Boeing. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  11. Proctor, Jon; Machat, Mike; Kodera, Craig (2010). "The Jet Age Begins, Or Does It? (1949–1952)". From Props to Jets: Commercial Aviation's Transition to the Jet Age 1952–1962. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1580071994. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  12. "Biography of John H. Glenn". History. NASA. November 12, 2008. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  13. http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19240003000 Archived March 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine NASM site
  14. "Frank Hawks: The Story of the Legendary Speed Flying King » HistoryNet". Aviation History. November 6, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  15. Kinert 1967, p. 57
  16. The Flight of the Buhl Airsedan Spokane Sun-God first airplane to make a non-stop transcontinental round-trip flight
  17. Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq", Charles A. Lindbergh Archived March 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine National Air and Space Museum
  18. Kinert 1967, p. 70
  19. "Travel Air (Model R) "Mystery S" – USA". The Aviation History On-Line Museum. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  20. "Behind the name of Captain Frank M. Hawks, in aviation's record book today is set down the time of 12 hours, 25 minutes, 3 seconds for an eastward transcontinental flight, the fastest ever flown by man over the distance of 2,500 miles." Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, August 15, 1930; Valley Stream, New York; August 14, 1930 (Associated Press)
  21. Glines 1995, p. 154
  22. Glines 1995, p. 155
  23. Glines 1995, p. 159
  24. Glines 1995, p. 166
  25. Wildenberg, Thomas (2007). "A visionary ahead of his time: Howard Hughes and the U.S. Air Force – Part I: The Air Corps Design Competition". Air Power History. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  26. "Sleek, Fast and Luckless". Time Inc. February 20, 1939. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  27. "Fact Sheets : Operation Sun Run : Operation Sun Run". Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  28. "Concorde | the Museum of Flight".
  29. Larry Lange (November 5, 2003). "Thousands welcome Concorde to Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  30. "Flights & Flyers", Time, May 12, 1930, archived from the original on September 30, 2007

Bibliography

  • Glines, Carroll V. 1995. Roscoe Turner; Aviation's Master Showman. Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN 1-56098-798-7
  • Kinert, Reed. 1967. Racing Planes and Air Races: A Complete History, Vol.2 1924–1931. Aero Publishers Inc ASIN B000J40KCU
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