Wrong Way Corrigan Day with the 77's Event Cache

Who as a geocacher, in search of a smilely, hasn't gone the wrong way?  Wrong side of the creek, wrong side of the fence, bushwhacked when there was an easy trail right to the cache?  Sure.  But has a day been named after your wrong turn adventures?

National Wrong Way Corrigan Day on July 17th commemorates the transatlantic flight of an Irish-American stunt pilot from Galveston, Texas. Douglas Corrigan gained notoriety for an unplanned transatlantic flight to Ireland on July 17, 1938.

Douglas Corrigan  (January 22, 1907- December 9, 1995) — real name Clyde Groce Corrigan — was born to a construction engineer and a teacher. The family settled in Los Angeles and Corrigan would later quit high school to work in construction.

His love affair with airplanes began early in the 20th century. In 1925, he saw people paying money to be taken on short sightseeing rides in a Curtiss JN-4 ‘Jenny’ biplane, in a field close to his home. Of course, the then-18-year-old had to go up too. He paid the $2.50 fee for his ride and spent 10 minutes up in the air. A week later, he was taking flying lessons, spending his other free time watching and learning from local aircraft mechanics. Within a short while, in 1926, he began making solo flights, too.

Corrigan hero-worshipped Charles Lindbergh, and took inspiration from his idol’s transatlantic flight, petitioning authorities for his very own transatlantic flight. He requested permission from the Bureau of Air Commerce to fly from New York to Ireland, but he was denied this. Corrigan was determined, however. A few years after his flight plan was denied, he flew non-stop from his home in Long Beach, California to Brooklyn, New York. Instead of going back to California, he wanted to duplicate Charles Lindbergh’s trip and fly to Ireland. The authorities were still not convinced, though, as they thought his plane — a 1929 Curtiss Robin aircraft that he rebuilt and modified — would not last the journey. He was denied permission for this trip once again. On July 17, 1938, Corrigan reportedly told officials he was heading back home to California. As he later said, the cloud cover prevented him from accurate navigation and, when it finally cleared, he found himself over water. He continued on his journey in the hopes of landing and, 28 hours later, reached Dublin, Ireland. He famously exclaimed, “Just got in from New York. Where am I?”

This story and the subsequent notoriety earned him the sobriquet, ‘Wrong Way’. Many consider his ‘navigational error’ as deliberate, as he was a skilled mechanic, and this flight was his dream. Nevertheless, he stuck to his story, and officials gave him a mild punishment — his pilot’s certificate was suspended for 14 days. His return to New York, via a ship, was marked by a huge celebration.

Corrigan wrote his own account of his flight — still sticking to his story — in an autobiography, only months after his flight. He went on to ink a movie deal and played himself in “The Flying Irishman” in 1939. He earned $75,000 for this movie, equivalent to 30 years’ income at his airfield jobs.

When World War II came around, he tested bombers and flew in the Ferry Command, a division of the Air Transport Command. He toured the country after the war ended with other war heroes in parades.

Corrigan went on to settle down to a quiet life with his wife and family, even retiring from aviation and buying an 18-acre (7.3 ha) orange grove in Santa Ana, California. While he admitted to knowing nothing about growing oranges, he said he learned by copying his neighbors. On the 49th anniversary of his flight, when Corrigan was 80 years old, he was honored with a parade in Long Island, and the celebration was given the name Wrong Way Corrigan Day. His hometown also began celebrating this day a few years later, until it became the nationwide celebration it is today.

Join us at McDonalds, 2750  W 104th Ave, Federal Heights, CO, from 9AM to 10AM, Monday, July 17th, for coffee, breakfast,  laughter, and geocaching camaraderie.  Small TBs for discovery or moving on are always welcome.  McDonalds sells food and beverages for your consumption, but purchase is not required to attend. Come on out, we love to see new cachers and seasoned cachers.  All are welcome.  The kids playground is open.