The First Flight Across the Atlantic, May 1919: Curtiss Flying Boat, NC-1, NC-4 Restoration

Nonfiction, History, Military, Aviation
Cover of the book The First Flight Across the Atlantic, May 1919: Curtiss Flying Boat, NC-1, NC-4 Restoration by Progressive Management, Progressive Management
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Progressive Management ISBN: 9781301736539
Publisher: Progressive Management Publication: January 29, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: Progressive Management
ISBN: 9781301736539
Publisher: Progressive Management
Publication: January 29, 2013
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

A U.S. Navy crew and aircraft, backed by the entire Navy, won the honor of being the first to make the trip across the Atlantic in May 1919. The story of the NC-4's flight is a proud part of Naval Aviation and American history, retold in this history prepared on the 50th anniversary of the great event.

May 17, 1919, started off as a bleak day on the Islands of the Vultures. With classical whaling, Nantucket-style, one of their chief industries, the inhabitants of the Portuguese Azores were long accustomed to watching the sea. To this day, upon the lush green slopes and mountainsides are watchers' huts, shelters for the anxious eyes that seek a wispy spout. Poised below, among the rocks of black sand bights, whalers wait, boats and harpoons at the ready, eager for the signal that monsters are at hand. Now radio is used, but back then, once the telltale plume was spotted, fires were ignited in line with where the prey was seen to "blow."

But on that morning 50 years ago, there were no guiding lights; the mid-Atlantic pinnacles were misty with the shrouds of fog. Along rocky promontories, drizzle pierced low-lying clouds. A murky, thickening overcast had settled on the archipelago and, for a whale watcher, prospects of sighting blue-gray beasts were dim indeed.

Before noon, visibility on the island of Fayal was reduced to one or two miles. A west wind swept foggy blankets onto the southern shores, while turbulent air, spilling down from the mountains, created a sporadic breeze along the coast. There, on the Bay of Praia, shortly after 11:00 A.M., a strange sighting was made.

Observers on the beach said it started with a sound, a growing hum, a growling noise from seaward. As they peered toward Joao Diaz Point, suddenly from out of the gloom, slicing across the waters, came a huge gray shape: a whale-like body seemingly attached to burnished appendages that flickered dully in the half-light. Wallowing in an arcing turn, the "monster" barked, sputtered, then emitted a tremendous roar and, as quickly as it had appeared, faded away in a sound of thunder.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A U.S. Navy crew and aircraft, backed by the entire Navy, won the honor of being the first to make the trip across the Atlantic in May 1919. The story of the NC-4's flight is a proud part of Naval Aviation and American history, retold in this history prepared on the 50th anniversary of the great event.

May 17, 1919, started off as a bleak day on the Islands of the Vultures. With classical whaling, Nantucket-style, one of their chief industries, the inhabitants of the Portuguese Azores were long accustomed to watching the sea. To this day, upon the lush green slopes and mountainsides are watchers' huts, shelters for the anxious eyes that seek a wispy spout. Poised below, among the rocks of black sand bights, whalers wait, boats and harpoons at the ready, eager for the signal that monsters are at hand. Now radio is used, but back then, once the telltale plume was spotted, fires were ignited in line with where the prey was seen to "blow."

But on that morning 50 years ago, there were no guiding lights; the mid-Atlantic pinnacles were misty with the shrouds of fog. Along rocky promontories, drizzle pierced low-lying clouds. A murky, thickening overcast had settled on the archipelago and, for a whale watcher, prospects of sighting blue-gray beasts were dim indeed.

Before noon, visibility on the island of Fayal was reduced to one or two miles. A west wind swept foggy blankets onto the southern shores, while turbulent air, spilling down from the mountains, created a sporadic breeze along the coast. There, on the Bay of Praia, shortly after 11:00 A.M., a strange sighting was made.

Observers on the beach said it started with a sound, a growing hum, a growling noise from seaward. As they peered toward Joao Diaz Point, suddenly from out of the gloom, slicing across the waters, came a huge gray shape: a whale-like body seemingly attached to burnished appendages that flickered dully in the half-light. Wallowing in an arcing turn, the "monster" barked, sputtered, then emitted a tremendous roar and, as quickly as it had appeared, faded away in a sound of thunder.

More books from Progressive Management

Cover of the book Project Gemini Technology and Operations: A Chronology - Comprehensive Official History of the Pioneering Two-Man Missions Paving the Way for the Apollo Moon Landings (NASA SP-4002) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Suspended Disbelief: Role of Department of Defense in Interagency Foreign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response – Case Studies of Haiti Earthquake, Super Typhoon Haiyan Operation Damayan by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century Pocket Guide to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut: Programs, Courses, History, Cadet Life by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Encyclopedia of NASA Lessons Learned (Part 3): Thousands of Aerospace Technology Engineering Reports, Problems, Accidents, Mishaps, Ideas and Solutions - Space Shuttle, Spacecraft, Rockets, Aircraft by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Marine Corps Operations MCDP 1-0 (Value-Added Professional Format Series) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Ambassador Stephen Krasner's Orienting Principle for Foreign Policy (and Military Management) - Responsible Sovereignty by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Aerospace Power in the Twenty-First Century: A Basic Primer - Air and Space Power, Doctrine and Strategy, Airpower, Satellites, Billy Mitchell, Claire Chennault, Reconnaissance by Progressive Management
Cover of the book One Valley at a Time - Success Story of the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency (COIN) Campaign Against Taliban and al-Qaeda Terrorists, Special Operations Forces (SOF), Civil Military Operations (CMO) by Progressive Management
Cover of the book The Operational Impacts of Joint Seabasing (JSB) - Mobile Offshore Bases, Operational Environment, Deployment Vulnerabilities, Air Ports Of Debarkation (APOD), Sea Power 21, Marine Corps by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Orion: America's Next Generation Spacecraft - A Look at the Design, Development, and Testing of NASA's Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) for Deep-Space Manned Exploration Flights by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Women in Islamic Societies: A Selected Review of Social Scientific Literature - Monolithic Stereotype Succumbs to Multi-Faceted Empirical Studies on Muslim Women, Sex-Role Ideologies, Sacred Texts by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Adaptation to Change: U.S. Army Cavalry Doctrine and Mechanization, 1938-1945 - World War II Armored Force, Corps Reconnaissance by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century FEMA Study Course: An Introduction to Hazardous Materials (IS-5.a) - Government Roles, Toxic Chemicals as WMD, Materials Safety Data Sheet, Regulations, Human Health by Progressive Management
Cover of the book 21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Marine Physical Readiness Training for Combat MCRP 3-02A by Progressive Management
Cover of the book Held Hostage: Analyses of Kidnapping Across Time and Among Jihadist Organizations - Islamic Terrorism, al Qaeda, ISIS, ISIL, Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Nusra, al-Shabaab, Historical Perspective, Pirates by Progressive Management
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy