Richard James (1911–1989) set the junior

transcontinental air speed record A transcontinental flight is a non-stop passenger flight from one side of a continent to the other. The term usually refers to flights across the United States, between the East and West Coasts. History The first transcontinental multi-stop fl ...

in 1928. He completed the flight on December 15, 1928, arriving in New York. He had left from San Francisco. The elapsed flying time was 48 hours, spread over one month. The contest was sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Aviation. Dick James, as he was known to friends and family, was also awarded the National Clifford B. Harmon Award for 1928, and received a silver loving cup made by Tiffany & Company as well as having a ticker-tape parade in New York City. His record stood till 1930, when it was broken by

Frank Goldsborough Francis Herbert Goldsborough (July 16, 1910 – July 16, 1930) was a record-holding aviator who died in a plane crash in Vermont on his 20th birthday. Early years Goldsborough was born in Washington, D.C. His father was Brice Goldsborough, who di ...

. He was born in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

and flew a Travel Air 2000.

References

1911 births 1989 deaths People from Terre Haute, Indiana Aviation pioneers American aviation record holders {{aviation-bio-stub