Tom Stark

ONE OF the most significant milestones in American aviation history was the first nonstop coast-to-coast airplane flight. It was made on May 2-3, 1923 by Army lieutenants J. A. Macready and O. G. Kelly. They left Roosevelt Field, New York on May 2 at 11:36 a.m. and arrived some 26 hours and 50 minutes later at San Diego, California. To appreciate the technical skill and bravery exhibited by Kelly and Macready's flight one must realize that it was done without electronic navigation aids, aeronautical maps and against the prevailing West to East winds. Of course, the flight could not have been possible without the excellent performance of the Fokker F IV airplane and the Liberty V-12 engine. The F IV was one of the early aircraft in a long line of Fokker transport airplane designs.