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was informed that the weather along his route had improved, where conditions were average, with no major changes expected in the next 24 hours. Encouraged with this news, Vaitkus decided to fly. He carried five ham and egg sandwiches, a quart of coffee and lemonade, fruit, plus two gallons of water. One thousand letters were onboard too to be delivered to
Lithuania, and ribbons from Lithuanian-Americans of Chicago for the graves of
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was headed for Europe. Unfortunately, Vaitkus had to fight the worst possible weather conditions, flying through rain, fog, and icing, so that most of his navigation had to be by his new radio compass. More than once he noticed ice forming on the wings and had to descend to a lower altitude until it
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in New York in May 1935. That year, prior to his arrival, no pilots had been able to fly over the
Atlantic due to poor weather conditions, and so he had to wait until the chief meteorologist gave him a favorable weather report. It was not until four months later, on the evening of September 20, he
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Feliksas
Vaitkus was the only pilot to fly across the North Atlantic in 1935, and even though he landed in Ireland and not in Kaunas, he was entered in aviation’s history books for being the sixth pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic.
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The original flight date was postponed to 1935 because modifications were needed to strengthen the aircraft's structure due to the installation of extra fuel tanks and a more powerful engine. New equipment was added, which
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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 Feliksas Vaitkus, and he accepted the challenge to fly to Lithuania.
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neighborhood where
Vaitkus was born three years later. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1928, and after graduating from advanced pilot’s training school, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the
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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 this difficult period, the
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He was recalled to active duty in the Army Air Corps in 1940, serving as the chief test pilot at the Boeing
Aircraft Co. in Seattle, testing hundreds of
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due to his low fuel supply, and being exhausted after a 23-hour struggle fighting the elements, he felt it was best to come down somewhere in
Ireland.
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was crated for shipment to
Lithuania, where it would be restored. By ship and by train he made his way to Kaunas where he was given a hero’s welcome.
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thawed off. Vaitkus was helped considerably by hourly broadcasts from an Irish radio station. He learned that
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and landed there, with the aircraft suffering extensive damage. He was lucky to be alive and uninjured.
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did not have, such as a variable-pitch propeller to improve engine performance and a radio compass.
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507:"The Second Transatlantic Flight. Felix Waitkus: Forgotten Hero" by Edward W. Baranauskas
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bombers. He was recalled again to serve in the U.S. Air Force during the
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Comparative
Analysis of English and Lithuanian Aviation Terminology
281:. A much faster and more modern aircraft (compared to the original
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Lietuviškos ir Angliškos
Aviacijos Terminijos Lyginamoji Analizė
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in 1904, settling in the old "Lithuanian Downtown" in Chicago's
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was fogged in, as well as all areas heading east as far as the
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The next day, September 21, at 6:45 in the morning,
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317:was test-flown extensively to ensure its success.
231:pilot and the sixth pilot to fly solo across the
453:, Lietuvos žinios No. 116 (11 453), 24 May 2006
395:He died of a heart attack while stationed at
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451:Airijoje - "Lituanicos II" skrydžio pėdsakai
424:The Associated Press (22 September 1935).
361:He spotted an open field in Cloongowla at
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354:. He knew that he could not make it to
273:tragedy, some prominent members of the
293:in his round-the-world flight, and by
212:Lithuanian postage stamp dedicated to
537:Aviation history of the United States
532:American people of Lithuanian descent
484:from the original on 14 November 2023
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557:Military personnel from Wisconsin
477:(Technical report). p. 28.
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426:"Waitkus flying into ocean fog"
463:Saulėnas, Paulius (May 2016).
27:American-born Lithuanian pilot
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552:People from Kohler, Wisconsin
164:United States Army Air Forces
300:The aircraft was christened
275:Chicago Lithuanian community
155:United States Army Air Corps
547:United States Army colonels
223:(1907–1956), also known as
132:Order of Vytautas the Great
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289:, the same model used by
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267:A few months after the
227:, was an American-born
173:United States Air Force
449:Karolis Vaitkevičius.
243:His parents came from
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114:University of Chicago
405:Sheboygan, Wisconsin
542:Lithuanian aviators
327:Floyd Bennett Field
325:Vaitkus arrived at
104:Lithuanian American
311:Darius and Girėnas
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197:Lieutenant colonel
134:, III class (1935)
257:Kohler, Wisconsin
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16:(Redirected from
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279:Great Depression
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18:Felix Waitkus
486:. Retrieved
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214:Lituanica II
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183:World War II
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93:West Germany
83:(1956-07-25)
527:1956 deaths
522:1907 births
488:14 November
435:14 November
367:County Mayo
123:Marta Brotz
100:Nationality
516:Categories
411:References
390:Korean War
363:Ballinrobe
352:Baltic Sea
291:Wiley Post
249:Bridgeport
229:Lithuanian
187:Korean War
55:1907-06-20
397:Wiesbaden
283:Lituanica
270:Lituanica
253:Air Corps
245:Lithuania
239:Biography
146:Air force
110:Education
89:Wiesbaden
479:Archived
233:Atlantic
67:Illinois
401:Germany
179:Battles
63:Chicago
473:]
356:Kaunas
348:Dublin
321:Flight
128:Awards
120:Spouse
482:(PDF)
475:(PDF)
469:[
490:2023
437:2023
386:B-29
384:and
382:B-17
334:and
193:Rank
78:Died
49:Born
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