Lituanica
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Lituanica was an American research aircraft that crossed the Atlantic in 1933, and crashed under mysterious circumstances close to its destination, Kaunas, Lithuania.
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[edit] The pilots
Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas were Lithuanian pilots emigrant to United States, who made a significant flight in the history of world aviation. On July 15, 1933, they flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 3,984 miles (6,411 kilometers) without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes. In terms of comparison, as far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of Russell Boardman and John Polando, and it ranked fourth in terms of duration of flight at the time. Although Darius and Girenas did not have navigational equipment, and flew under unfavorable weather conditions, the flight made by the airmen at that time was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed, Charles Lindbergh's classic flight. Lithuanica also carried the first Transtlantic air mail consignment in history.
[edit] The aircraft
On June 18, 1932, Darius and Girėnas purchased a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker aircraft, serial No. 137, registration No. Nc-688 E from Pal-Waukee Company. Since 1929, 40 units of this model were built. It was a single-engine, six-seat, high-wing monoplane. The fuselage was welded chrome-poly steel tubing, and covered with fabric. The interior of the cabin was covered with a sound-absorbing material. The fuselage had side and top windows, with doors on both sides. The wings were of wooden construction, with two spars, also fabric covered. The spars and ribs were made of spruce strips and plywood. The wings had two gasoline tanks with a total capacity of 88 US gallons (333 L). Wing struts were 2/3 wood, 1/3 steel (at the wings) with aero-dynamic steel ribs, fabric covered, giving an additional 47 ft² (4.4 m²) lifting surface. Tail surfaces were made of welded steel tubing; the horizontal stabilizer of spruce strips and plywood, with the trim-angle made adjustable in flight. The landing gear was a curved steel bar. Wheels 30 × 5 inches (762 by 127 mm). The engine was a Wright J6, radial, air cooled, 9 cylinders, 300 hp (225 kW).
On January 20, 1933, the aircraft was moved to E.M. Laird workshops, where she was rebuilt and made suitable for the transatlantic flight. New, elongated wings were built, with two additional gasoline tanks installed in the fuselage, having 220 and 185 US gallon capacity, each tank equipped with emergency dump valves; in the cabin, under the pilot's seat a 25 US gallon oil tank was outfitted with 12 cooling tubes. A longer, new horizontal stabilizer was built; aero-dynamic wheel pants were installed; the fuselage received a new fabric covering. A new, higher compression engine, 365 hp (272 kW) Wright Whirlwind J6-9E, ser. No. 12733, had a "speed ring". On March 29, 1933, the rebuilding of the aircraft was completed, and the registration number was changed to NR-688E. The aircraft was painted an orange color. On both sides of the fuselage scrolls with the names of the flight-sponsors were painted. The aircraft was given the name "Lituanica" (the word for Lithuania in Latin).
[edit] The challenge
The challenge was serious: even now the ordinary, unprepared plane of this size cannot cover such a distance (Cessna 152, for instance, can fly only 1200 km). The flight was also important from the scientific point of view, exploring the air flows and possibilities of this type of the aircraft. They were the first who officially carried air mail from North America to Europe.
In their last letter, the pilots wrote that either a successful flight or a possible catastrophe would be valuable and significant enough and hence it is worthwhile to fly in either case.
[edit] The flight
After taking off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York on July 15, 1933, 6:24 AM EDT, Darius and Girėnas in their Lituanica successfully crossed the Atlantic, only to perish on July 17, 0:36 AM (Berlin Time) by the village of Kuhdamm, near Soldin, Germany (now Pszczelnik, Myslibórz area, Poland). The planned route was: New York - Newfoundland - Atlantic Ocean - Ireland - London - Amsterdam - Swinemünde - Königsberg - Kaunas (a total of 7,186 km). Due to weather conditions over Ireland, they changed course to the north and reached Germany via Scotland and the North Sea. In 37 hours and 11 minutes, until the moment of the crash, they had flown 6411 km (over 7000 km in actual flight path), only 650 km short of their goal — Kaunas.
[edit] The possible reasons of the crash
A Lithuanian board of investigation was appointed to determine the cause of the catastrophe. It concluded that the pilots were properly qualified, and from a technical standpoint the aircraft was properly outfitted. They added that the most difficult part of the flight was executed with great precision. The commission concluded that during the crash the aircraft engine was engaged (the propeller was rotating), and there was enough fuel on board (see [1], for instance).
Some sources mention pilot error, but both pilots were highly experienced. During his career as pilot, Darius had never been involved in any previous accidents. In 1931, Girėnas had won first prize in a flight festival in Chicago for gliding his plane and landing with a non-working engine.
According to the board, the catastrophe occurred due to difficult weather conditions combined with engine defects. There were rumors and suspiscions in some quarters, that the plane was shot down, having been mistaken for a spy plane. This was in spite of any evidence, or bullet holes in the plane, nor bullet wounds found on the bodies of either pilot.
[edit] After the crash
On July 19, the German plane "Derluft", carried the bodies of the pilots back to Lithuania. The people of Kaunas met the heroes, but in great sorrow. The funeral was a very solemn occasion and was the cause of official national mourning.
A few months after the Lituanica tragedy, some prominent members of the Chicago Lithuanian community discussed the possibility of financing another transatlantic flight. This idea was greeted with much enthusiasm, and enough funds were raised during this difficult period, which was called the Great Depression. A much faster and more modern aircraft (compared to the Lituanica) was purchased from the Lockheed Aircraft Corp., called the Lockheed Vega, the same model used by Wiley Post in his round-the-world flight, and by Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
The aircraft was christened Lituanica II on Sunday, April 22, 1934. When the pilot originally chosen for the flight unexpectedly resigned in the spring, the Lithuanian organizers turned to Felix Waitkus, and he accepted the challenge to fly to Lithuania. Even though he came down in Ireland and not in Kaunas, he was entered in aviation’s history books for being the sixth pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic.
In 1936, the Lithuanian government decided to build a mausoleum, for the pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, which was never completed. From that year until the present day, the wreckage of Lituanica has been on display in the Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas.
