Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan blamed it on the clouds and a faulty compass. That's how he wound up in Ireland on his way to California, he insisted. Never mind that he'd sought permission for a transatlantic flight and twice been denied. Aviation authorities said his rickety craft would never make it across the ocean. Despite a cockpit door "latched" with wire and extra fuel tanks obscuring his vision, he landed safely near Dublin. But really, Corrigan maintained from 1938 until he died in 1995, he intended to fly from New York to Los Angeles that day.
"I made a mistake," he said.His feat caught the fancy of a world in the grip of prewar tension and the Depression. People chose to believe it was Corrigan's way of thumbing his nose at authority.
Wrong Way Corrigan riding in this parade honoring him.
Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan blamed it on the clouds and a faulty compass. That's how he wound up in Ireland on his way to California, he insisted. Never mind that he'd sought permission for a transatlantic flight and twice been denied. Aviation authorities said his rickety craft would never make it across the ocean. Despite a cockpit door "latched" with wire and extra fuel tanks obscuring his vision, he landed safely near Dublin. But really, Corrigan maintained from 1938 until he died in 1995, he intended to fly from New York to Los Angeles that day.
"I made a mistake," he said.His feat caught the fancy of a world in the grip of prewar tension and the Depression. People chose to believe it was Corrigan's way of thumbing his nose at authority. 
Wrong Way Corrigan riding in this parade honoring him.
2 comments:
Arthur, Corrigan's bold "mistake" reminded us we don't need a government bureaucracy to protect us from ourselves.
Amen . . . you are so right. The "over-regulated" list gets longer every year.
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