The Hearst prize was a $50,000 (approximately $ today)

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

in October 1910 to the first aviator to fly coast to coast across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, in either direction, in fewer than 30 days from start to finish. The prize expired in November 1911 without a winner.

Attempts

James J. Ward James J. Ward (born Jens P. Wilson in 1886 in Denmark – January 7, 1923) was a pioneer aviator who made one of the earliest attempts at transcontinental flight. Biography He flew a Curtiss Model D pusher biplane named the "Hearst Pathfinder" ...

left

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

in Manhattan, New York City but crashed on September 22, 1911 in

Addison, New York Addison is a town in Steuben County, New York. The population was 2,397 at the 2020 census. The name was selected to honor the author Joseph Addison. The Town of Addison includes a village, also called Addison, which is an interior town in the ...

on his way to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. *

Calbraith Perry Rodgers Calbraith Perry Rodgers (January 12, 1879 – April 3, 1912) was an American aviation pioneer. He made the first transcontinental airplane flight across the U.S. from September 17, 1911, to November 5, 1911, with dozens of stops, both intentio ...

tried to win it, having started too late, but did complete the flight in 49 days, including several crash landings and maintenance delays. * Robert G. Fowler left

on September 11, 1911 and arrived in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

on February 8, 1912, after the prize deadline expired.

References

{{reflist 1910 in aviation 1911 in aviation Aviation awards History of aviation William Randolph Hearst Challenge awards

Attempts

See also

References