FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-175

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (September 17, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we learn about a bit of a bumpy flight with several stops along the way.           

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

The first multi-stop transcontinental flight commenced in New York City on September 17, 1911, by pilot Cal Rodgers.  He landed in Pasadena, California on November 5.  Mind you, this was just 8 years after the historic first flight by the Wright Brothers.

Rogers did receive a 90-minute flight lesson from the famous brothers in the summer of 1911, and purchased one of their planes – no instruments, of course.  Rogers did pass the flight test later and became the 49th licensed pilot.

The publisher Hearst offered a $50,000 prize to the first aviator who flew coast to coast in under 30 days.  Rogers missed this in part due to the frequent stops he had to make delivering mail.  Why he did play mailman is not known. 

The bigger issue was his repeated crash landings, at times landing him not only on the ground but in a local hospital.  The Wright Brothers’ mechanic followed Rogers by train to repair the plane.

Those were the adventurous days of aviation.

This map of Pasadena by Lynde is from 1941.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.