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This artifact is associated with the Wright EX "Vin Fiz," a Wright brothers Model EX aircraft flown by Calbraith Rogers in a 1911 attempt for the first transcontinental flight made in 30 days or less. Sponsored by a company promoting a new grape soda named "Vin Fiz," the flight from New York to California was indeed the first transcontinental flight, but required 70 landings, was plagued by 15 crashes, and missed the prize deadline by 19 days.

Originally, Wright airplanes flew with one left-handed and one right-handed propeller. However, both of the donated aircraft propellers were left-handed. The museum later received a right-handed propeller from a second Wright airplane owned by Rodgers, in which he crashed and was killed in 1912. To make the "Vin Fiz" more accurate, the museum installed that right-handed propeller on the displayed aircraft. This subject artifact is the remaining left-handed propeller from the original "Vin Fiz" donation.

Display Status

This object is on display in Early Flight at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Early Flight

Object Details

Date

1911

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers

Manufacturer

Wright Company (Dayton, Ohio)

Physical Description

Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood
Diameter: 254 cm (100 in.)
Chord:
Engine Application: Wright vertical four-cylinder engine, 26 kw (35-hp)

Dimensions

Diameter: 254 cm (100 in.)

Materials

Wood

Inventory Number

A19340060001

Credit Line

Gift of the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Open Access (CCO)
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