FROM THE ARCHIVES:Pioneer aviator Douglas Corrigan became famous as "Wrong Way" Corrigan when he "accidentally" flew the wrong way after leaving New York for California and landed in Baldonnel. This is what he told The Irish Timesabout his "mistake". – JOE JOYCE
HAVING FLOWN the Atlantic from New York in the belief, as he told reporters who went to interview him, that he was on his way home, Douglas Corrigan (30), of Los Angeles, landed at Baldonnel Aerodrome yesterday with fifteen dollars and no luggage. He left Floyd Bennett Field, New York, at 5.15 a.m. New York Eastern time on Sunday, and arrived at Baldonnel at 2.25 p.m. yesterday .
Mr. Corrigan stepped smiling from his machine at Baldonnel and was surrounded by a group of Army air officials, who were entirely mystified by his appearance. He explained what had happened, and was taken to the officers’ mess, where he had a meal.
The news of his arrival was telephoned to the American Legation, where Mr Cudahy, the American Minister, ordered a car to be sent to Baldonnel to take him to the legation. Mr Corrigan had no difficulty with the Customs and others officials at Baldonnel on landing, although it is reported that he had left New York after he had been ordered to refrain from a trans-Continental flight on account of the age of his machine, which was built in 1929.
Interviewed, he made light of the flight and said that there had been no incident. He explained that his machine carries two compasses, one of which, a Pioneer Straightaway compass, he used to steer a straight course. The setting of this compass, he said, was such that if it were set for an East to West course and the pilot miscalculated he might easily find himself flying back from West to East, and this is what happened. He flew for eighteen hours from New York at five to six thousand feet over clouds without seeing what was underneath, then he met with high banks of rain clouds and came down to 1,500 feet to find his bearings.
He failed to determine his position and had to come to 5,000 feet again. Later he came into clearer weather and saw fishing boats on the sea. He then thought that he was off the Californian coast, but on sighting land he knew from its contours that he had made a mistake and that he must have flown a wrong course.
After studying the coast for some time he decided that he was off the North coast of Ireland, and from a study he had made last year in planning an Atlantic flight which had fallen through, he remembered the general direction of Baldonnel aerodrome, so he made in that direction. The last large town he met, he knew, would probably be Dublin, and he had been right.
By his manner in talking of it, Mr Corrigan gave one the impression that flying the Atlantic was no heavy task. “I just kept going. It wasn’t blind flying, but I was above cloud all the way across.”
http://url.ie/ce0x