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Bedrock Of The Community
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Here's a recent pictorial cancellation commemorating the centennial of the infamous Vin Fiz Flight from Sheepshead Bay, New York to Long Beach, California in 1911:  For anyone unfamiliar with the story, here's a brief history: Quote:
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the First Transcontinental Flight which began from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911 and ended in the sand near Pine Avenue pier in Long Beach, California on December 10, 1911.
THE HISTORY: In 1911, William Randolph Hearst offered a $50,000 prize to the first person to fly from coast to coast within a 30-day period. Calbraith Perry "Cal" Rodgers (1879-1912), a slender motorcycle racer with only limited flying experience (some of it gained at the Wright School), accepted the challenge. He took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911, determined to reach California and qualify for the reward.
THE PLANE: Rodgers flew an EX biplane, named the "Vin Fiz" after a soft drink made by his commercial sponsor. The 35-horsepower airplane had no radio and was equipped with only one instrument, a fluttering shoelace to indicate vertical and lateral motion.
THE FLIGHT: Rodgers chose a meandering route across the United States through Chicago and San Antonio, to avoid dangerous mountain ranges. A train carrying his wife, mother, mechanics and $4000 worth of spare parts followed him. The "Vin Fiz" made 30 stops, crashing 19 times in the process. It was virtually rebuilt by the time it reached California.
THE ACCOMPLISHMENT: Rodgers covered 4000 miles in 49 days. His actual time in the air was 82 hours and 4 minutes. Newspapers followed the flight day-by-day until at last he landed at Long Beach, California on November 5, 1911. Though Rodgers was 19 days too late to win the prize, he achieved a record of endurance and determination. |
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| Edited by wt1 - 10/25/2011 10:05 am |
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Rest in Peace
United States
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The model EX "Pusher" (Type of an EARLY Bi-Plane). I am pretty versed on the Wright Brothers. I never heard of this commemorative of Vin-Fiz Flight cover before? Awesome. |
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Pillar Of The Community
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Pillar Of The Community
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The Vin Fiz is on permanent display in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. What is the origin of the "stamp"? Appears to be a cinderella, but what did the 25 cent cost go to? Did he haul some mail with him on the flight too? |
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Bedrock Of The Community
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What is the origin of the "stamp"? Appears to be a cinderella, but what did the 25 cent cost go to? Did he haul some mail with him on the flight too? Here's the brief answer:  If you are interested in more detail and the census of the known copies of the stamp still in existence, the above was taken from data provided at this link: http://www.siegelauctions.com/enc/census/CL2.pdf |
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Pillar Of The Community
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Pillar Of The Community
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The Vin Fiz had to crash land in Middleton IL, which is a short distance from my hometown. It was even mentioned in the State Journal Register on the anniversary date. I remember reading about it and not knowing that event had occurred. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
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According to the 2011 Scott Specialized Catalog, the current "unused" value for a CL2 Vin Fiz Flyer Stamp is $55,000 (only 4 examples are known to exist with only one having original gum); a used example oh a postcard (with 1-cent stamp #374) is $75,000 (7 examples are known to exist); and a stamp tied to a cover with a 1-cent stamp #374 is $115,000 (one unique cover)! |
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| Edited by wt1 - 10/25/2011 2:55 pm |
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Pillar Of The Community
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Bedrock Of The Community
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Even though it's not really stamp-related, I couldn't end this thread without researching what the sponsor of this flight, the Vin Fiz, must have tasted like. The description below is from a 1913 American Druggist Trade Publication wherein the company was trying to get drug store soda fountains to carry their brand and gave this glowing account of their product:  |
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| Edited by wt1 - 10/25/2011 5:56 pm |
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Bedrock Of The Community
United States
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Here's another recent pictorial cancellation for the Centennial of the Vin Fiz Flight on September 17, 2011, this time from Middletown, NY:  In case you're wondering what Middletown, NY has to do with the flight, here's the story: http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-...-California/Considering that today you can drive the distance from Sheepshead Bay to Middletown in roughly 2 hours, it certainly puts into perspective how slow that air mail flight must have been! |
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Pillar Of The Community
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I received the November American Philatelist yesterday and actually read the whole article on Calbraith P. Rodgers and the Vin Fiz..he was quite a boy !! |
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APS 070059 Life Member International Society of Guatemala Collectors I.S.G.C. #853 |
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Considering that today you can drive the distance from Sheepshead Bay to Middletown in roughly 2 hours I take it You have not tried to drive across Brooklyn lately!  Just last week it took Me an hour and 20 minutes! |
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| Edited by revstampman - 10/29/2011 12:09 pm |
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philb mentioned the American Philatelist with the article on Rodgers. Great read and very informative. |
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Posted 10/25/2011 10:04 am
