100th anniversary of the ‘mile-high club
Reflecting Pool takeoff, buzzing the Capitol and the 100th anniversary of the ‘mile-high club’
A floatplane takes
off from the Reflecting Pool, headed directly toward the Lincoln
Memorial in 1923. (Library of Congress)What
is the best weather for a takeoff on the Reflecting Pool? Great
question. A headwind is helpful for maximum lift, and calm water is
necessary for a smooth takeoff.
It also really helps if the weather occurred back in 1923. We don’t recommend trying it now.
A century ago, Washington was targeted by aviators and stunt pilots at the dawn of the
golden age of aviation. The
Reflecting Pool takeoff was one of the more interesting stunts
performed in 1923. Given the waves in the photo, it appears there was
indeed a good headwind to help with lift.
After the
floatplane rose above the Reflecting Pool, the pilot maneuvered
the airplane around the Lincoln Memorial. The stunt was successful.
Preparing
for takeoff on the Reflecting Pool in 1923. The floatplane had the
entire length of the Reflecting Pool for liftoff before needing to dodge
the Lincoln Memorial. (Library of Congress)The 1923 takeoff may have been inspired by the stunts of
Lawrence Sperry, inventor and aviation pioneer, a year earlier.
On
March 22, 1922, less than two months after the Knickerbocker Snowstorm
buried the District with 28 inches of snow, Sperry buzzed the Capitol
dome with an airplane and then landed it next to the Capitol steps. He
was immediately greeted by police and government officials who shook his
hand and posed for photographs that were shot by photographers who were
in the vicinity. That certainly wouldn’t be the outcome today.
Sperry
was allowed to take off from the Capitol, and he flew west to the
Lincoln Memorial, where he landed again. He posed for more photos.
Sperry took off one more time and landed near the U.S. Treasury
Department building, where he asked for prompt payment for a contract
that he previously worked with the U.S. Navy.
Lawrence Sperry buzzed
the U.S. Capitol and then landed next to the Capitol steps on March 22,
1922, in his Sperry “Fliver.” He was warmly greeted by police and
government officials. (Library of Congress)The 100-year anniversary of the “mile-high club”
Sperry is considered a founding member of the “
mile-high club,” although he was only 500 or 600 feet in the air at the time.
On
Nov. 21, 1916, Sperry was flying with a student and friend, Dorothy
Rice Pierce, above the coast of Long Island when he accidentally bumped
the autopilot device and disengaged it. In 1912, Sperry had invented and
patented the first autopilot, which he often used and demonstrated in
flight.
With the autopilot disengaged, the airplane crashed into
Great South Bay,
and Sperry and Pierce were both rescued from the water nude. After the
rescue, Sperry said it was the impact of the water that “divested” them
of their clothing. No one believed Sperry’s story about how they lost
their clothes, and at least one New York tabloid had fun with a
headline at their expense.
Pierce,
who was married at the time, divorced her husband 11 months later. She
met another man, Hal Sims, on a chartered flight, and they married.
Dorothy Rice Sims went
on to become an accomplished pilot, motorcycle racer, bridge player,
sportswoman, journalist and political correspondent. She lived 70 years
and died on March 24, 1960.
Dorothy
Rice Pierce, left, and Lawrence Sperry, right, are thought to be the
founding members of the “mile-high club” during a flight on Nov. 21,
1916. (Library of Congress)Most early pilots
feared flying in the fog, but not Sperry. By the end of 1923, Sperry had
logged more than 4,000 hours of flight time and he was very comfortable
flying with newly invented instruments in his airplane that helped
navigate during poor visibility.
Unfortunately, poor visibility is what would eventually kill him.
On
Dec. 13, 1923, Sperry took off from England for a short flight to
France despite heavy fog over the English Channel. He never arrived. His
body was later found in the Channel on Jan. 11, 1924. Sperry was only
30 at the time of his death.
During his short lifetime, Sperry held 24 patents and is credited with inventing the autopilot, the
turn-and-slip indicator, retractable landing gear and an effective aerial torpedo.
The name, Sperry, and
Sperry Corp., which was founded by
Elmer Ambrose Sperry, the father of Lawrence Sperry, continue to be well-known today in the world of aviation and manufacturing.
Lawrence Sperry climbs out of his airplane after landing near the Capitol steps. (Library of Congress)
A crowd gathers around Lawrence Sperry after he landed next to the Capitol steps on March 22, 1922. (Library of Congress)
Lawrence
Sperry lands near the Lincoln Memorial after buzzing the Capitol dome
and landing at the Capitol steps on March 22, 1922. (Library of
Congress)
Lawrence
Sperry sits in his airplane near the Lincoln Memorial. He touted that
his airplane, the Sperry “Fliver,” could fly 100 miles per hour.
(Library of Congress)