The ''America'' was a
Fokker C-2 trimotor monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
that was flown in 1927 by
Richard E. Byrd,
Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen (23 October 1899 – 17 October 1973) was a Norwegian pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. A Norwegian native, he later became an American citizen and was a recipient of the Distingu ...
,
George Otto Noville
George Otto Noville (April 24, 1890 – January 1, 1963), also known as "Noville" and "Rex," was a pioneer in polar and trans-Atlantic aviation in the 1920s, and winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross. He served with Commander Richard E. B ...
, and
Bert Acosta on their
transatlantic flight.
History
For eight years after the first non-stop heavier than air Atlantic crossing by a British
Vickers Vimy in 1919, there were no further such flights. Then, in 1927, three crossings were made by American flyers, the ''Americas being the third after
Lindbergh's first solo crossing in the ''
Spirit of St. Louis'' flight and
Clarence Chamberlin's
''Columbia'' flight from New York to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
. All three were aspiring to win the
Orteig Prize. It was also the first aircraft to carry official
airmail across the Atlantic.
The ''America'' was destroyed after it was ditched near the French village of
Ver-sur-Mer, having flown to Paris but being unable to land due to fog. Distance covered was about 3,800 miles not counting the time and distance spent at Paris waiting in vain for the fog to clear. After it was towed ashore, it was torn apart by souvenir hunters. Portions of the aircraft reside in several museums in Europe and in the United States.
The ''America'' is a subject of the
America/Goldbeach Museum, located in Ver-sur-Mer.
See also
*
Rodman Wanamaker
*
American Trans-Oceanic Company
American Trans-Oceanic Company was an airline based in the United States.
History
Rodman Wanamaker published a letter in 1916 stating the founding of the American Trans-Oceanic Company to capitalize on the 1914 effort to fly across the Atlant ...
References
External links
The Trans-Atlantic Flight of the 'America'The America-Gold Beach museum* Richard Byrd, Anthony Fokker, Bert Acosta, George Noville, Bernt Balchen and th
"America"in historic Fox Movietone newsreel recorded May 19, 1927
est viewed in Firefox or older InternetExplorer..University of South Carolina]
* more Fox Movietone newsree
footage.
irefox, older IEUniversity of South Carolina)
*America in pictures
#1#2#3#4
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the 1920s, year=1927
Individual aircraft