Darius and Girėnas

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S.Darius and S.Girėnas (1933)
Flight route of the Lituanica

Steponas Darius (* 1896 ; † 1933 ) and Stasys Girėnas (* 1893 ; † 1933) were Lithuanian pilots with US citizenship who crossed the Atlantic non-stop.

Their flight went down in the history of aviation and its tragic end moved the world and especially the Lithuanian people. Following their plan, they took off from New York across the Atlantic Ocean on July 15, 1933 , to land in Kaunas in Lithuania after a total of 7,186 kilometers . After 6,411 km and 37 hours 11 minutes in the air, however, her machine crashed for reasons that have never been clarified.

In terms of distance traveled, their flight to Russell Boardman and John Polando (New York – Istanbul, 1931) was the second longest non-stop flight and in terms of flight duration the fourth longest of the time. Although Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas had no navigational equipment other than a compass and flew in adverse weather conditions, their flight was navigationally one of the most accurate of the time.

flight

On June 18, 1932, Darius and Girėnas acquired a used machine of the type "Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker", serial number 137, model number Nc-688 E, which was designed as a six-seater. The aircraft was rebuilt in EM Laird's workshop. New, longer wings were added as well as a longer horizontal stabilizer and aerodynamic wheel fairings. The fuselage got a new textile cover.

In order to be prepared for the planned long-haul flight, two additional gasoline tanks with a capacity of 833 and 700 liters (220 and 185 US gallons, respectively) were installed in the fuselage. In addition, the wings had two petrol tanks with a capacity of 333 liters (88 US gallons) each, and a 95 liter (25 US gallons) oil tank was located in the cabin under the pilot's seat.

The plane was orange. The names of sponsors were painted on the sides of the machine. The pilots named the aircraft Lituanica ( Latin : the Lithuanian ).

The monument in Pszczelnik ( Kuhdamm ) - 1936

It was planned to reach Kaunas from New York - Newfoundland - Atlantic - Ireland - London - Amsterdam - Swinoujscie - Koenigsberg with a total of 7,186 kilometers by air . After the planes took off from New York's Floyd Bennett Airport on July 15, 1933 at 6:24 a.m. local time, they successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the following 24 hours. Because of unfavorable weather conditions over Ireland, they then changed their course to the north and reached Germany via Scotland and the North Sea. On July 17 at 12:36 a.m. local time in Kuhdamm near Soldin in what was then East Brandenburg (now Pszczelnik near Myślibórz , Poland ), the two planes crashed. After 37 hours and 11 minutes, at the time of the accident, they were only 650 kilometers from their destination Kaunas in Lithuania.

A Lithuanian commission of inquiry could not clarify the cause of the accident. It was found that the pilots were adequately qualified and the aircraft had been adequately equipped. The preparation for the flight had also been carried out with great precision. It was assumed that difficult weather conditions or a machine failure led to the crash. However, the aircraft engine was running during the disaster and there was still enough fuel on board.

The monument in Pszczelnik ( Kuhdamm ) - 1995

On July 19, a German plane transported the pilots' bodies and the rubble of the Lituanica to Lithuania. The flight of the two Lithuanian aviation pioneers was a state event for the still young republic at the time, which was nationally minded; there was great dismay at the crash. About 60,000 people attended the state-arranged funeral for the two pilots in Kaunas, the then capital of Lithuania. In 1936 the Lithuanian government decided to build a mausoleum for the two pilots in Kaunas.

The aircraft can be seen in the Vytautas Magnus Military Museum in Kaunas.

10 litas banknote (2001)

The portraits of Darius and Girėnas adorned the 10 litas note, the reverse showed their plane. On the 60th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight from New York to Kuhdamm, a 10 Litu commemorative coin (copper-nickel, edition of 4500 pieces) with her images was issued in 1993. There is a 'Dariaus ir Girėno gatvė' (Darius and Girenas Street) in every major Lithuanian city; the largest football stadium in the country in Kaunas has been named in their honor.

Web links

Commons : Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas  - collection of images