Raynor HCA 2014-01
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2014
An exciting and historic aviation relic, a 2" x 2" section of the wing fabric of the Wright EX biplane "Vin Fiz" which in 1911 was piloted by Calbraith P. Rodgers in the first flight across the entire United States. William Randolph Hearst had offered a $50,000 prize to the first pilot to traverse the country. Rodgers, sponsoring the Armour Company's soda, "Vin Fiz", left Long Island on September 17th, following railroad tracks with his wife and company representatives following his route on the ground. After 82 hours and two minutes of flight, Rodgers reached Pasadena on November 5th, having made seventy landings, several crashes ands an in-flight collision with an eagle. Feeling that his flight would not be complete until he reached the Pacific, Rodgers again took off on November 12th and later landed on the beach, actually taxiing the planes' wheels into the ocean. All in all, enough spare parts were replaced on his craft to rebuild it four times, and when the plane's restoration commenced in 1960, this piece of fabric was removed in order for it to be replaced with a cleaner, more sturdy fabric. The relic is affixed to a poster-sized sheet picturing the Vin Fiz in flight, with a printed description at bottom. Accompanied by separate explanatory text from the National Air and Space Mu
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