The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-07-18

haps he was worried about what the U. s. aviation authorities would do to him for making the unauthorized transatlantic trip. | T left New York to return to Los Angeles, but by an unfortunate mis- take I set my compass wrong, and when I got Up above the clouds the visibility was very bad" he told the United Press.
 q flew a considerable distance and didn't know I was over the sea. When I had flown 25 hours, I thought I should be near my desti- nation and came down through the clouds.
 Discovers Ireland
 q saw some fishing smacks which did not appear familiar. I cruised around while, thinking I was near California, but the landscape ap- peared entirely different.
 T flew inland and discovered what I thought must be Ireland. Then I flew in an eastern direction about 50 miles and saw what I be- lieved was Baldonnel airdrome. I turned the machine down and landed, and the officials informed me was in Ireland.
 T had only 30 gallons of gas left
 "On the way I had only some chocolate bars and half gallon of water. Didn't have anything else at all to eat
 T don't feel very tired, but I sure was surprised when I found myself of the coast of Ireland"
 Had Just Flown In Corrigan remarked casually that he had just flown in from Califor- mia on vacation jaunt. Still no in- terest. Then, equally casually, he said he had done it 27 hours, 50 minutes, without a stop.
 People around the airport pricked up their ears then. Manufacturers asked him to endorse their products. He said 1t was nothing; he just had wanted to have look at New York on his vacation.
 Last Saturday afternoon Corrigan went back to the New York air port and loaded his plane with 32O gallons of gasoline He had extra tanks built so high in the cabin that he couldn't see out of the plane except by banking it.
 The only instruments were a com- pass and a turn -and-bank indica- tor. His provisions were couple of chocolate bars.
 Slept In Hangar
 He took a nap on cot in a ham, gar, got up at midnight and an- nounced he intended to take of for California at 2 a. m. Sunday. The manager made him wait until dawn, asserting that the little plane was too heavily loaded to take off in the dark.
 As soon as the first streaks of dawn frightened the eastern sky, Cor rigan taXied the old ship out on Floyd Benntt fields 4,200 foot run- way. It took him nearly 5000 feet to egt 1t of the ground
 He flew straight northeastWard- toward the rising sun and Europe.
 Watchers at the airport waited for him to make slow circle to- WdTO JIle west.
 But he kept on going northeast ward.
 No one heard or saw anything more of him for 27 hours until he appeared over Ireland.
 Flew Without Instruments
 Corrigan flew without radio, with out navigating instruments, and without permission of the U. s. government or the airport from which he cleared.
 His 1929 Curtiss Robin monoplane, which he bought seven years ago for $900, was of type in which few aviators would venture over any long stretch of ocean. But Corrigan had yen to fly the Atlantic. And he did 1.-the third man in history to do it alone. The others were Lindbergh, who flew alone to Paris Il years ago and Wiley Post, who flew from New York to Europe in 1883. Both Lind bergh and Post used larger and more powerful airplanes than the one Corrigan used today.
 Corrigan's old ship had a flying speed of only about 90 miles an hour, but he made the flight of ap- proximately 2,800 miles in 28 hours and 13 minutes with the aid of tail winds.