744:"Young Lithuania! Inspired by Your spirit, we embark on a mission we have chosen. May our success strengthen Your spirit and confidence in Your own powers and talents! But should Neptune and the mighty ruler of storms Perkūnas unleash their wrath upon us, should they stop our way to Young Lithuania and call Lituanica to their realm – then You, Young Lithuania, will have to resolve anew, make sacrifice and prepare for a new quest, so that gods of stormy oceans be pleased with Your effort, resolution, and do not summon You for the Great Judgement. May Lituanica's victory strengthen the spirit of young sons of Lithuania, inspire them for new quests. May Lituanica's defeat and sinking into the depths of the Atlantic nurture perseverance and resoluteness in young Lithuanians, so that a Winged Lithuanian conquers the treacherous Atlantic for the glory of Mother Lithuania! We therefore dedicate and sacrifice our flight for You, Young Lithuania!"
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wings had two gasoline tanks with a total capacity of 88 US gal (330 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 was of spruce strips and plywood, with the trim-angle adjustable in flight. The landing gear was a curved steel bar with rubber rope suspension. Wheels 30 × 5 inches (762 by 127 mm). The engine was a Wright J6,
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434:, for instance, has a range of 1200 km), even today. The flight was also important from a scientific and technological perspective, as it explored air flows and the capabilities of this type of aircraft. 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 was worthwhile to fly in either case.
327:(700 L) capacity, each equipped with emergency dump valves. Beneath the pilot's seat a 25 US gal (95 L) oil tank was outfitted with 12 cooling tubes. A longer horizontal stabilizer was built. Aero-dynamic wheel fairings were installed, and the fuselage received a new fabric covering. A new, higher compression engine, 365 hp (272 kW)
485:(a total of 7,186 km). Due to weather conditions over Ireland, they veered 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 636 km short of their goal—Kaunas.
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workshops at 5321 W. 65th St. in the
Clearing Industrial District, Chicago, where she was rebuilt and outfitted for the transatlantic flight. New elongated wings were built, with two additional gasoline tanks installed in the fuselage, having 220 US gal (830 L) and 185 US gal
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steel tubing covered with fabric. The cabin interior 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
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The small town of
Beverly Shores, Indiana (just west of Michigan City, Indiana), has another memorial to the Lituanica flight. There, in 1968, the American Lithuanian Club established a park and named it Lituanica Park after the Bellanca CH-300 used in the flight. In 1971, to honor the pilots, a
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A Lithuanian board of investigation was appointed to determine the cause. It concluded that the pilots were properly qualified, and 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
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Lituanica Ave, Bridgeport neighborhood in
Chicago, IL is named after this flight. The avenue runs between Halsted and Morgan streets from 31st and 35th streets, and after a jog east proceeds south to 38th place between Sangamon and Halsted streets.
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at Floyd
Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, taken a week before the take-off on July 15th. At extreme left is A. MaĹľeika, who initiated the issuance of the special flight benefitting stamps; both pilots are to the right or left of the plane at
335:". On March 29, 1933, the rebuild was complete, and the registration number was changed to NR-688E, and the aircraft was painted orange. On both sides of the fuselage scrolls with the names of the sponsors were painted. The aircraft was dubbed
381:, covering a distance of 3,984 miles (6,411 kilometers) without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes (107.1 mph). In terms of comparison, as far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of
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In 1934 the bodies of Darius and GirÄ—nas were embalmed by professor Jurgis
Zilinskas. In 1936 the Lithuanian government decided to build a mausoleum for Darius and GirÄ—nas in Kaunas' old cemetery, that was destroyed after
509:, but both pilots were highly experienced. During his career as pilot, Darius had never been involved in any previous accidents. In 1931, GirÄ—nas had won first prize in a flight festival in
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In New York City, in 1957, the fliers were memorialized with a granite flagstaff showing the pair in bas-relief. The monument is located in
Lithuania Square, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
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3,200. First produced and flown in 1929, forty units of the CH-300 Pacemaker were eventually built. It was a single-engine, six-seat, high-wing monoplane. The fuselage was welded
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According to the board, the catastrophe occurred due to difficult weather conditions combined with engine defects. The crash most probably was a result of failed
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in 1933. After successfully flying 6,411 km (4,043 miles), it crashed, due to undetermined circumstances, 650 km (404 miles) from its destination,
413:
1933 rare original photograph of the
Committee of Greater New York sponsoring the Darius–Girenas Transatlantic flight, in front of the orange Belanca plane
319:, air cooled, 9 cylinders, 300 hp (225 kW). Funds for the plane was raised from numerous Lithuanian clubs and organizations, including air shows.
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discussed the possibility of financing another transatlantic flight. This idea was greeted with much enthusiasm, and enough funds were raised during the
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on Sunday, April 22, 1934. When the pilot originally chosen for the flight unexpectedly resigned in the spring, the
Lithuanian organizers turned to
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On June 18, 1932, the pilots purchased the
Pacemaker airplane, serial no. 137, registered as NC-688E, from the Pal-Waukee Company for
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524:. Autopsies of pilots revealed no signs of bullets. However, not all parts of the plane were returned to the Lithuanian government.
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met the heroes in great sorrow. The funeral was a solemn occasion and was the cause of official national mourning.
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conditions, the flight was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed,
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Dotting the Parks, Monuments to the Famous or
Forgotten, by Lisa W Foderaro, 12 January 2014, New York Times
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plays its home matches, is also named in their honor. There is a tall stone monument near the stadium, the
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and not in Kaunas, he entered aviation history for being the sixth pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic.
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crash the aircraft engine was running (the propeller was rotating), and there was enough fuel on board.
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Flight cover autographed by pilots Steponas Darius & Stasys Girenas of the ill-fated 1933 Lituanica
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In Kaunas, a model of the Lituanica was put in 2013 to commemorate 80 years of the event.
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An ordinary unmodified plane of this size cannot cover a comparable distance (the
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Before the flight GirÄ—nas and Darius left a testament to the Lithuanian nation:
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airplane carried the bodies of the pilots back to Lithuania. The people of
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861:"Karo muziejui perduoti unikalūs paskutiniojo "Lituanica" skrydžio kadrai"
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823:"Palwaukee Airport (Wheeling, Illinois) featured on Lithuanian banknote"
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was purchased from the Lockheed Aircraft Corp., the same model used by
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was inspired by the flight and commemorated it with the flight of the
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large modern sculpture by J. Barkis was placed in the park's pond.
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Monument marking the crash site near Pszczelnik in Poland
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Monument commemorating GirÄ—nas and Darius in Chicago's
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449:) by the village of Kuhdamm, near Soldin, Germany (now
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for gliding his plane and landing with a dead engine.
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The pilots' bodies rest in the Military Cemetery of
605:. From then until the present day, the wreckage of
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51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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258:airplane flown from the United States across the
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322:On January 20, 1933, the aircraft was moved to
16:Transatlantic Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker (1933)
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1105:Aviation accidents and incidents in Germany
663:in 1935 where it still stands to this day.
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707:made a relief of the pilots' faces on the
377:. On July 15, 1933, they flew across the
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
1090:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1933
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365:Steponas Darius and Stasys GirÄ—nas were
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562:tragedy, some prominent members of the
373:, who made a significant flight in the
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674:The flight is commemorated in a movie
578:in his round-the-world flight, and by
441:in New York on July 15, 1933, 6:24 am
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724:Plaque referencing the flight at the
393:equipment and flew under unfavorable
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
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680:(Flight over the Atlantic) (1983).
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536:Monument to Darius and GirÄ—nas in
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1053:Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash
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995:Imperial Airways Diksmuide crash
971:Aviation accidents and incidents
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227:crashed in Kuhdamm near Soldin,
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690:Lithuanian national soccer team
636:Funeral of the pilots in Kaunas
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36:needs additional citations for
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700:Park dedicated to the pilots.
686:S.Darius and S.GirÄ—nas Stadium
653:Chicago's Lithuanian community
489:Possible reasons for the crash
331:J6-9E, ser. No. 12733, had a "
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902:Lituanica Foundation. History
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648:banknote featuring the flight
611:Vytautas the Great War Museum
212:Vytautas the Great War Museum
726:Midway International Airport
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585:The aircraft was christened
564:Chicago Lithuanian community
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1033:Tupolev ANT-7 Podolsk crash
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694:Lithuanian Academy of Sport
609:has been on display in the
570:. A faster and more modern
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1043:United Air Lines Flight 23
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217:Lithuanian Aviation Museum
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925:52.8532139°N 14.8382722°E
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375:history of world aviation
369:pilots, emigrants to the
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256:Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker
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843:"Where gliders are born"
558:A few months after the
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865:XXI amĹľiaus horizontai
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437:After taking off from
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1100:Aviation in Lithuania
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547:On July 19, a German
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505:Some sources mention
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791:United States portal
603:Soviet re-occupation
401:'s classic flight.
45:improve this article
1110:Individual aircraft
1071:► 1934
1065:1932 ◄
921: /
684:'s sports stadium,
677:Skrydis per AtlantÄ…
461:– Atlantic Ocean –
439:Floyd Bennett Field
177:Construction number
148:General information
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1095:1933 in Lithuania
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867:(in Lithuanian).
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399:Charles Lindbergh
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871:(79). 2004-05-26
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665:Feliksas Vaitkus
568:Great Depression
383:Russell Boardman
329:Wright Whirlwind
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528:After the crash
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357:Steponas Darius
355:Main articles:
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268:Steponas Darius
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157:Bellanca CH-300
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661:Marquette Park
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538:Marquette Park
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483:Kaunas airport
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379:Atlantic Ocean
361:Stasys GirÄ—nas
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260:Atlantic Ocean
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62: –
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56:Find sources:
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34:This article
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873:. Retrieved
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847:the original
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826:. Retrieved
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688:, where the
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669:Lituanica II
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459:Newfoundland
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391:navigational
387:John Polando
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286:The aircraft
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208:Preserved at
200:First flight
186:Registration
164:Manufacturer
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43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
928: /
655:erected an
507:pilot error
324:E. M. Laird
294:Replica of
60:"Lituanica"
1084:Categories
875:2011-09-21
828:2008-01-31
805:References
728:in Chicago
624:, Kaunas.
576:Wiley Post
479:Königsberg
475:SwinemĂĽnde
451:Pszczelnik
432:Cessna 152
367:Lithuanian
333:speed ring
264:Lithuanian
233:Pszczelnik
214:(wreckage)
71:newspapers
1021:Lituanica
703:Sculptor
698:Ä„Ĺľuolynas
671:in 1935.
628:Memorials
607:Lituanica
560:Lituanica
471:Amsterdam
455:Myślibórz
415:Lituanica
345:Lithuania
337:Lituanica
296:Lituanica
280:Lithuania
251:Lituanica
237:Myślibórz
219:(replica)
140:Lituanica
127:Lituanica
101:June 2008
749:See also
709:Puntukas
696:and the
657:Art Deco
549:Deruluft
312:chromoly
169:Bellanca
975: (
973:in 1933
622:Ĺ anÄŤiai
595:Ireland
542:Chicago
511:Chicago
463:Ireland
453:, near
418:center.
395:weather
302:in 1993
300:Vilnius
266:pilots
235:, near
229:Germany
195:History
190:NR-688E
85:scholar
1049:Dec 30
1039:Oct 10
1015:Jul 17
991:Mar 28
682:Kaunas
615:Kaunas
553:Kaunas
467:London
405:Flight
351:Pilots
317:radial
298:above
276:Kaunas
254:was a
241:Poland
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
1029:Sep 5
1023:crash
1009:crash
1007:Akron
1001:Apr 4
646:litas
341:Latin
231:(now
92:JSTOR
78:books
1005:USS
977:1933
385:and
359:and
343:for
270:and
224:Fate
203:1929
153:Type
64:news
644:10
613:in
447:CET
443:EDT
262:by
180:137
47:by
1086::
869:10
863:.
813:^
617:.
540:,
481:–
477:–
473:–
469:–
465:–
347:.
339:,
308:$
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278:,
239:,
979:)
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955:t
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108:(
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99:(
89:·
82:·
75:·
68:·
41:.
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