AIRMAN’S JEST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 July 1938, Page 5

AIRMAN’S JEST

FLIGHT ACROSS ATLANTIC BV MISTAKE HEADED FOR CALIFORNIA AND FOUND IRELAND. THE COMPASS BLAMED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. LONDON, July 19. “Before taking off from New York I thought I set the compass' properly, but here is where it brought me. After flying for 28 hours above the clouds I decided to descend and ascertain my whereabouts. I saw mountains and thought ‘That is California,’ but later I saw the sea. Then I realised that I was over Ireland.” That is how the American airman. Douglas Corrigan, explained his amazing trans-Atlantic flight from New York today, when he landed at Baldonnel aerodrome, Dublin. He took 28J hours for the flight. FRIEND’S WARNING. AGAINST ATTEMPT TO FLY BACK. NEW YORK, July 18. In a radio broadcast today, Mr Mulligan, a friend of Corrigan’s, paid tribute to the aviator’s courage and dubbed him “gone-again-Corrigan.” He warned him against attempting to fly back. “Because he has succeeded so well,” said Mr Mulligan, “we must, admire his courage—in the judgment of many, plain foolishness —but we earnestly hope that there will not follow in his wake the usual host of aspirants wanting to ride to glory by the same route. “Although we cannot say that Corrigan has lastingly contributed to the science of aeronautics, we take off our hats to him and hope that he will soon come back to us to help in the advancement of our long-felt aspirations to make flying safe, pleasurable and commercially profitable.” Earlier Mr Mulligan expressed his amazement at Corrigan’s contention that he flew the Atlantic by mistake. “He must (have kissed the blarney stone as a boy,”* he remarked to the Press. , It is now certain that only a gentle reprimand awaits the flyer here for taking off without a licence. ANOTHER TRIBUTE. LIFE MEMBERSHIP OF LIARS’ CLUB. BURLINGTON (Wisconsin), July 18 The famous Burlington Liars’ Club, which annually holds a contest to select the world’s champion teller of tall tales, has elected Corrigan to life membership on the strength of his story that he thought that he pointed his plane toward Los Angeles. The club president said: “Anybody who can tell a story like that and still keep a straight face is entitled to life membership.”