{"id":10866,"date":"2016-05-18T21:18:18","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T04:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=10866"},"modified":"2016-05-18T21:19:56","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T04:19:56","slug":"10866-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/10866-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Vin Fiz and Solar Impulse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calbraith Perry Rodgers, the first person to fly across the United States, was deaf from an early childhood disease.\u00a0 Even though he came from a long line of naval heroes, this handicap kept him from joining the Navy, but didn\u2019t slow his quest for adventure.\u00a0 He was one of the first to sign up for flying lessons with the Wright Brothers<\/a> at their home base in Ohio.<\/p>\n

\"Flying

Flying (!) replica of Vin Fiz hanging in Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, California<\/p><\/div>\n

He was 31 years old when William Randolph Hearst offered a $50,000 prize to the first aviator to fly coast-to-coast in 30 days or less.\u00a0 Rodgers convinced the Armour Meat Packing Company to sponsor his attempt as a promotion for their new soft drink, Vin Fiz.\u00a0 As a coincidence, your editor visited the Hiller Aviation Museum a few weeks ago, and they have a beautiful replica of the Wright Model EX in Vin Fiz markings, just as it looked when Rodgers set out from Sheepshead Bay, Long Island, New York, on September 17, 1911.<\/p>\n

\"Period

Period map of Vin Fiz’s voyage, replete with plentiful advertising for soft drink<\/p><\/div>\n

The airplane was not pristine for long. \u00a0Within a day, he crashed and wrecked the airplane.\u00a0 It required the first of several rebuilds, \u201cAnd this was only the first of five major crashes, two engine explosions, and dozens of minor incidents.” \u00a0His deafness possibly contributed to some accidents because of his inability to hear his engine.\u00a0 There were no instruments \u2013 not even a compass \u2013 and Cal followed railroads when all other cues failed.<\/p>\n

\"Visitors

Visitors can “fly” Vin Fiz with three-screen simulator. Pulling and pushing on left stick rolls the airplane right and left, doing the same on the right pitches the nose up and down<\/p><\/div>\n

Arriving at Long Beach, California on December 10, 1911, he was only 54 days late to collect the Hearst prize, but did win the admiration of the 50,000 on hand to see him land on the beach \u2013 very little of the original craft finishing the trip with him.\u00a0 What he lacked in a reliable airplane he made up for in sheer perseverance. \u00a0Rodgers\u2019 gravestone reads, \u201cI endure.\u00a0 I conquer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"vin<\/p>\n

Solar Impulse had just set out for Phoenix when your editor made it to the Bay Area.\u00a0 It\u2019s of interest that Bertrand Piccard and Andre\u2019 Borschberg made a homage to Cal Rogers<\/a> in the report of their flight across America.<\/p>\n

Rodgers was a pioneer, just as Piccard and Borschberg are today.\u00a0 They all share the desire for a better future and the\u00a0willingness to follow their dreams against all challenges.<\/p>\n