Evening star., 1938-07-18
where Am L? He
Says, Hinting Aim
Was California.
SHIP MINUS RADIO
ON 28-HOUR HOP
California Flyer Hailed
in Dublin, Goes to
U. S. Legation.
By the Associated Press.

By tie Associated Press.
BALDONNEL AIRPORT. Dublin
Ireland, July 18. - An antiquated
single-motored American airplan.
nuttered down here this Afternoon
after its owner, 3l-year-old Dougla!
Corrigan, had pushed it across thu
Atlantic in a surprise, unSanctionee
flight from New York.
1t TAXED across the field and
wheeZed to stop. Flabbergasteo
Irish airport officials rushing to the
machine saw a grinning pilot climb
out
I'm Douglas Corrigan,' he said
"Just got in from New York.
1T took me 20 hours and l3 min
utes."
The plane came down from rain
streaked sky at 2:30 pm. $3.50 am,
E.'S. T.), % hours 13 minutes after
Corrigan had taken off from Floyd
Bennett Airport on a flight Ito Cali
fornia"-and with no permit for a
transatlantic crossing.
by the way, where am II" the
IltcI dSkcu TIE sdlilcl AlS II LoAi Nio"u'
The gaping Irish looked at Corri-
gan, at his plane and its nearly empty
gasoline tanks. then back at the
cheerful young pilot, dressed in leath-
er Jacket and trousers.
Broad smiles broke, and brogues
began.
"Corrigan, eh?" asked one Dub
liner. Have a nice crossing?"
Never Saw the Ocean.
Not bad" was Corrigans reply.
There was not much to it. flew
over the clouds all the time and never
saw the ocean until I reached the
coast. The weather was good"
Then, quite belatedly. attendants
thought of landing papers and asked
Corrigan for them.
Forget it," he said. yawning. Il
thought it was California all the
time"
Corrigan's plane, of the vintage Of
Col. Charles A. Lindberghs Spirit
of st. Louis, was believed to be
capable of only about 100 miles an
hour. The plane Lindbergh new to
Paris in 1927 is preserved in the
Smithsonian Institution.
Corrigan had no radio and only the
barest navigating instruments
The first intimation of his where
abouts today was at 7:08 am CE.
s. t., when he flew over Belfast
Officials of Belfast Harbor Airport
noticed its American registration
markings. But they were unaware
OF trans Atlantic hop and did not
Immediately report his arrival.
Odds Were 100-to-1.
Veteran flyers said Corrigan's feat
was accomplished against odds of
100-to-1 1t amazed Baldonnel Air
port officials. He apparently had
aimed straight and unerringly for
the goal he long had cherished.
The unoficial time of his flight
was more than double the 13 hours
and II minutes record James A. Mol
lison made on his flight in 1896 from
Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to Lon
don.
The report spread quickly in Dub
lin that there was "a crazy flyer" in
town, and it reached newspaper head
lines just like that.
Corrigan sat munching sandwiches
as airport officials pressed him to pro-
duce his landing papers
Really now, I thought was head
ing for California" he beamed 1T
was not until I saw your mountains
here that I realized it was not Cali
fornia"
The United States Minister, John
Cudahy, sent his car out to the air.
port. It picked up the flyer and de-
livered him to the Legation. 1t is
expected he will be the guest of the
Minister for several days.
Technically Corrigan is under de-
tention because of his lack of papers,
but that did not seem to bother him.
He said he circled around the north
ern coast of Ireland after reaching
the western coast and finally picked
out Dublins Baldonnel Airport for his
landing.
An Irish mail plane for London was
Just leaving when Corrigan set his
rickety craft down.
UNKNOWN To PJIRJJC