What is National Wrong Way Corrigan Day?
On July 17th, the transatlantic flight of an Irish-American stunt pilot from Galveston, Texas, was commemorated. Douglas Corrigan (January 22, 1907 – December 9, 1995) gained notoriety for an unplanned transatlantic flight to Ireland on July 17, 1938.
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Douglas Corrigan's fascination with flight as a youth was not unusual. Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight may have been the most memorable moment in his young life. The young stunt pilot went from California to New York in 1938, flying from California to New York. On his arrival, he begged for permission to duplicate his hero's historic flight. Unfortunately, the flight service refused his request due to the age of his 1929 Curtiss Robin aircraft.
Corrigan told officials he was returning to California after only having a magnetic compass. According to the article, after takeoff, cloud cover prevented Corrigan from accurate navigation. Nothing but water as Corrigan plummeted below the clouds just hours later. Corrigan's navigation was off, but he knew it wasn't. Despite the chaos, he continued on his journey. He landed in Ireland 28 hours later, surprisingly.
Corrigan's tale of his flight never faltered. Corrigan stuck to his original explanation amid rumors that he illegally planned this flight.
