Gary McCarthy

Eagle Man & the Vin Fiz Gary McCarthy

In the lobby of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum hangs the legendary VIN FIZ which made the first transcontinental flight across America in 1911 piloted by Galbraith Perry Rodgers. This SCRIPT STORY is based on that amazing story. It was a hot summer afternoon in Washington D. C. when I entered the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and first witnessed the famous VIN FIZ, hanging from the ceiling and looking small and frail inside the massive entry hall. It was a Wright Brothers' Model B biplane fitted with two worn wicker seats. I read the information about the famous biplane and how it had crashed so many times that there was almost nothing left of the original that crossed America except for a few struts. The VIN FIZ seemed so insubstantial I could not get my mind around how such a contraption could fly all the way across the United States battling winds and fierce storms. But with Cal Rodgers as its pilot, it had become a part of American aviation history. I had never heard the epic story of the first transcontinental air crossing or of the famed flier. Aviation was in the very earliest stages of its infancy...but when Cal Rodgers finally set down in Pasadena, California, people all across our country were staying close to their radios waiting for news of his arrival and over ten thousand people were waiting anxiously at the landing field. I have chosen to call this a SCRIPT STORY because it combines the best elements of a novel AND a script. As such, the format is quick and easy to read and should prove especially satisfying to those who enjoy visualizing scenes while fully immersing themselves in story, setting and character development.