07/17/2026
Floyd Bennett Field has welcomed many famous aviators, and Douglas Corrigan is one of them. Born in January 1907 in Galveston, Texas, Corrigan quickly developed a love for flying. In 1925, at age 18, he watched people take rides in old World War I biplanes. After taking one of those rides himself, he was hooked and soon learned to fly. In 1926, Corrigan got a job at the Ryan Aeronautical Company in San Diego, California, to help assemble aircraft. There, he met Charles Lindbergh, who had hired Ryan to build the Spirit of St. Louis. Douglas helped assemble that famous plane. He also dreamed of flying across the Atlantic Ocean one day, and he did so in a very unusual way!
In 1929, he bought a used Curtiss Robin monoplane for $310 and named it "Sunshine." He wanted to fly to Europe, but unlike Lindbergh, he aimed for Ireland. To make the trip, he needed permission from the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce. The Bureau turned him down several times, saying his plane was not fit for the journey, so he came up with a new plan, getting permission to fly across the country to Floyd Bennett Field and made the trip in 27 hours. Corrigan refueled there for the 2,800-mile journey. On the morning of July 17, 1938, Corrigan took off from runway 6 into thick fog. Instead of heading back to San Diego, he began his famous "wrong way" flight to Ireland. He had only two compasses, no radio, and could not see out the front because of the gas tanks, so he used a small side window. To clear ice from his wings, he used a 10-foot pole. After flying for 28 hours and 13 minutes, he landed at Baldonnel Aerodrome in Dublin on July 18. When he landed, he introduced himself and said, "Just got in from New York. Where am I?" as if he were lost. When he returned home, Wrong Way Corrigan was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City and met President Franklin Roosevelt. During World War II, he tested bombers for the Douglas Aircraft Company, including the B-24 Liberator, and served with the Army's Ferry Command, delivering planes from factories to air bases. Corrigan even starred in a movie about his life, called 'The Flying Irishman,' earning $75,000 for his role.
