Calbraith Perry Rodgers
1879–1912 (age 33)
Aviation pioneer
Biography
Calbraith Perry Rodgers was an American aviation pioneer who made significant contributions to early flight. In 1911, he completed the first transcontinental flight across the United States, traveling from New York to California in his Vin Fiz Flyer aircraft. This remarkable achievement demonstrated the potential of aviation and captured the public imagination during the pioneering era of powered flight.
Rodgers' legacy as a daring aviator helped establish aviation as a viable form of transportation and inspired future generations of pilots and engineers. Though his life was cut short in a flying accident in 1912, his pioneering spirit and accomplishments remain an important part of aviation history.