Steve Fossett to fly Vickers Vimy Replica Across North Atlantic
One June 14, 1919, Alcock and Brown became the first aviators to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. This was the first crossing of the Atlantic in one day
Eighty-six years later, a replica Vickers Vimy is being prepared in St. John’s, Newfoundland to re-create this famous flight to Clifden, Ireland.
The aircraft will be flown by aviation adventurers Steve Fossett and Mark Rebholtz. This is the same Vimy replica that retraced flights from London to Australia, and London to South Africa.
The Vimy left California on May 19 and arrived in St. John’s International Airport , Newfoundland, Canada the evening of Thursday, June 9.
Ken Swartz
Toronto Aerospace Museum
http://www.torontoaerospacemuseum.com
For more information, see three Vimy websites:
Vimy Atlantic web site, includes daily updates, photos and news clippings from trip across USA and Canada
http://www.vimy.org
National Geographic Vimy web page: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/vimy/index.html
Toronto Aerospace Museum web page (aircraft YZD visited for one week)
http://www.torontoaerospacemuseum.com
By: wysiwyg - 14th June 2005 at 22:11
No they are Brits. The website link is correct.
By: Whiskey Delta - 14th June 2005 at 01:43
I met 2 of the guys that built it last month. They are currently about to start building a Handley Page HP42!!!!!!!! Probably my favourite commercial aircraft of all time and one I’d dearly like to have a flight in.
Those classic airliners are quite eligant in a bizarre way. The HP42 sure would look great flying overhead.
By: OSH - 13th June 2005 at 23:48
I met 2 of the guys that built it last month. They are currently about to start building a Handley Page HP42!!!!!!!! Probably my favourite commercial aircraft of all time and one I’d dearly like to have a flight in.
They are American,are they not? Is their HP42 project anything to do with this project,or is that TWO on the go?
http://www.imperial-airways.com/Menu_page.html
This will probably get moved to the Historic section.
By: wysiwyg - 13th June 2005 at 22:49
I met 2 of the guys that built it last month. They are currently about to start building a Handley Page HP42!!!!!!!! Probably my favourite commercial aircraft of all time and one I’d dearly like to have a flight in.
By: Grey Area - 13th June 2005 at 17:13
No GPS or anything onboard!
Be fair – Alcock and Brown didn’t have it either…. 😀
You’re right of course, andrewm – it’s no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination.
By: Whiskey Delta - 13th June 2005 at 17:03
I don’t know if this is such a good idea. I understand this is a replica but what are the chances that someone will bother to build a replacement if it should go down during this flight? Pretty slim if you ask me. Sure, every flight as a bit of risk involved but why push the envelope with such a rare bird? How many classic warbirds and antique aicraft have we lost due to folks pushing the envelope? It would be a greater loss to have no flyable aircraft than plenty of flyable aircraft operating in a more subdued manner.
I would rather see them operate more stringently to help insure decades of future flights rather than risk it on 1 or 2 long flights just with the hopes of matching a previous achievement.
By: andrewm - 13th June 2005 at 16:53
Still got to admire the pilots courage Grey! No GPS or anything onboard!
By: Grey Area - 13th June 2005 at 16:48
It’s been done before……… 😉
By: andrewm - 13th June 2005 at 16:45
Im thinking of going down to see this one arrive in Ireland.
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June 13, 2005 at 4:39 pm