Wright EX “Vin Fiz”

In June 1911, Calbraith “Cal” Rodgers soloed after just 90 minutes of instruction from Orville Wright. He then purchased a modified Wright Model B and renamed it the Model EX. Rodgers had decided to go after a $50,000 prize offered by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. The prize would go to the first aviator to make a coast-to-coast crossing of the US by air, in 30 days or less.

Wisely, Rodgers secured a sponsorship from the Armour meatpacking company to cover the costs of supplies, repairs and a support team to follow him. In return, he named his Wright the “Vin Fiz” after a popular grape drink produced by Armour. Cal took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911 and landed 49 days later in Pasadena, California. The “Vin Fiz” crashed several times and was repaired so often that when it arrived in California the only original parts of the machine remaining were the vertical rudder and two wing struts. Tragically, he was killed in an aircraft accident on April 3, 1912 approximately 100 yards from where he made his final landing of the transcontinental flight.

Click for more information about the Wright EX “Vin Fiz”