How the Vin Fiz Came to Long Beach and Made Aviation History

On December 10, 1911, Calbraith (“Cal”) Perry Rodgers completed the first U.S. transcontinental flight from Sheepshead Bay, New York, in the surf off Long Beach. William Randolph Hearst offered a $50,000 prize to the first aviator completing a flight coast-to-coast within 30 days. Rodgers, the son of naval hero Oliver Perry, convinced the Armour Company to finance his race and in turn, he displayed a “Vin Fiz” advertisement for Armour’s new grape soft drink on the wing of the Wright Model EX-1 pusher plane.

Rodgers landed in Pasadena in November 1911, two months and two days after takeoff. He had crashed dozens of times across the U.S. and was undecided which location on the Pacific Coast to end his journey.

Because he lost the Hearst contest, Rodgers was in need of money. So when Squire DuRee approached him on behalf of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and offered him $5,000 to end the transcontinental flight in the ocean off Long Beach, he accepted.

More than 50,000 people lined up on the Long Beach shore near Linden Avenue on November 12 to greet Rodgers. Word soon came that somewhere in Compton, Rodgers had blacked out and crashed. He was taken back to Pasadena with broken ribs, cuts and two sprained ankles. His aeroplane was taken to the Sun Parlor at the end of Pine Avenue Pier for repairs.

Still not able to walk without crutches, Rodgers once again took off for Long Beach on December 10 and was greeted in the air by his Long Beach friends, Frank Champion, Beryl Williams and Earl Daugherty. All the planes circled the “Pike” and then touched down in the water at Linden Avenue and Seaside Avenue.

Rodgers hobbled off the Vin Fiz and grabbed his crutches which he had flown with and walked over to local officials who welcomed and paid him.

A replica of the Vin Fiz (because little remained of the original) is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Through the generosity of Jet Blue, another replica is on display in the lobby of the Long Beach Auditorium -- also viewable from the windows of the Beverly O’Neill International City Theater.

Rodgers carried a mail bag during his flight from Pasadena and dropped it in Long Beach before landing. The bag was signed by local aviation supporters.

On April 3, 1912, near the spot where he made aviation history, Cal Roger’s plane collided with a seagull 100 yards west of Pine Avenue pier. Just before he crashed, Rodgers told Earl Daugherty he would be “back in a few minutes” to finish negotiating the sale of an airplane. Rodger’s death marked the 22nd American aviator to die while flying.

The City of Long Beach promised to erect a monument to Rodgers. Although it was designed, it was never installed.

gerrie@beachcomber.news