Vin Fiz

The Missus and I are volunteers at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. We meet a lot of really nice people and show them the very cool aircraft we get to hang around.

This a (replica) Wright Model EX that, in 1911, was the first airplane purchased by a private citizen. It was designed and built by the Wright Brothers for Cal Rodgers. Rodgers wanted to win a prize offered by William Randolph Hearst for any aircraft that could fly across the country in less than 30 days. Rodgers needed a lot of support for his attempts, so a company that was introducing a new grape soda called Vin Fiz, sponsored his attempt, which is why it is called The Vin Fiz.

Rodgers made it from Long Island, New York, to Long Beach, California, but it took him 49 days, so he missed the prize. He also crashed 16 times along the way (only a few parts of the plane that took off from Long Island actually made it to Long Beach). His total time in the air was 84 hours.

The original Vin Fiz is in the collection of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

[Esther Rosenberg]

Wow, great inventions.

[Walks @ 7]

Most interesting story. Do you know if anybody achieved success and claimed the prize?

[Tim Erskine]

@joysabin The money was never awarded. The Hearst Transcontinental Prize of $50,000 (~$1.4 million today) expired November 1, 1911, before Rodgers made it to Long Beach - he was in Kansas City on that date. He pressed on, determined to be the first to make a transcontinental flight, even without the prize money.