unforum

[rowan]

[thunderclap8]

The official estate photog's shots are up:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avantgame/

[perfect_autumn]

[ScarpeGrosse]

I feel the need to report that Goretex being waterproof is a LIE! LIE LIE LIE!

I don't think my feet could have been wetter were they being dunked in the ocean

And my shoes stink.

And there was a lot of doggie dookie on the ground there.

But all in all, it rocked!

[aliendial]

Brought fresh ears to my recording this morning. Edited post above re transcript, but it's so noisy I cannot swear to this: "In other news, the search for the the first man to fly across the Atlantic ocean continues. rescuers are combing Newfoundland for Herbert Edmund (Edwin Edward?) [last name]". (Definitely three names.) I tried googling, found nothing.

[Atrophied]

/me 's newfoundland ears prick up... did someone mention my province?

The first people to fly non-stop across the Atlantic were John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown (in a Vickers Vimy bi-plane). But they flew from NL to Ireland, not the other way round.

John Alcock was born in 1892 at Seymour, Old Trafford. He first became interested in flying at the age of seventeen, when the science of aviation was still a new subject. During World War One Alcock became an experienced pilot, though he was eventually shot down during a bombing raid, and taken prisoner in Turkey. After the war, Alcock wanted to continue his flying career and took up the challenge of attempting to be the first to fly directly across the Atlantic.

Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow in 1886. He began his career in engineering before the outbreak of the First World War. Like Alcock, Brown also became a prisoner of war, after being shot down over Germany. Once released and back in Britain, Brown continued to develop his aerial navigation skills. While visiting the engineering firm of Vickers he was asked if he would be the navigator for the proposed transatlantic flight, partnering John Alcock, who had already been chosen as pilot.

Flying a modified Vickers Vimy IV twin-engined bomber, they took off from Lester's Field, Newfoundland (now in Canada) in the late afternoon June 14, 1919 and crash landed (53°26′ N 10°01′ W) in a bog near Clifden in Connemara, Ireland, at 8:40am on June 15, 1919, crossing the coast at 4.28pm. They flew 1890 miles in 15 hours 57 minutes, at an average speed of 118 mph. Their aircraft was powered by two Rolls Royce Eagle engines each of 360hp.

And, for the record.. this was 8 years before the Spirit of St. Louis made the crossing.

[Ikkarus]

Quoted from Straight Dope:

[aliendial]

Yeah, I've read alot about aviation in this era, focussing on 1929, which eliminates these other "firsts". And the names aren't similar enough. I find a name and listen to the recording again to see if it helps resolve some of the garble.

[konamouse]

[Ikkarus]

[aliendial]

nope. Why don't y'all PM me any other names rather than string out this thread. (I also think this is a red herring created entirely by me, so let's not get too worked up. )

[Shad0]

[Atrophied]

I can second Shad0 on that one.

*Albert Read got the first flight across the Atlantic. (But made a stop on the way).

*Alcock and Brown got the first non-stop flight.

*Lindenburgh got the first solo non-stop flight.

Sorry aliendial... I'm done now, carry on.

[Ikkarus]

Very true. Actually, that's pretty much the point of the Straight Dope article I linked to above. It isn't saying that Lindbergh didn't do something worth noting, just that most people don't actually understand what it is he did. There is often a misunderstanding that he was the first across the Atlantic, which is clearly false.

[StevenR]

Check this site.
The first link refers to a failed crossing attempt by Urban F. Diteman around 23rd October 1929 (that was the date on the linked report, so he probably took off on 22nd October). The name Urban could sound similar to Herbert, so could this be him?