This is the latest in a new series about important Italian American figures on Long Island.
You’re familiar with Charles Lindbergh, but probably not Giuseppe Mario Bellanca. The Italian aviation pioneer, designer, and engineer who ran a flying school in Mineola, NY, for a period of time was born in Sciacca, Italy, and left an indelible mark on aviation and Long Island history in the 1920s.
He is most notable for building the plane that made the first transatlantic flight with a passenger, taking off on June 4, 1927, from Roosevelt Field on Long Island and landing in Eisleben, Germany. The 43-hour flight was met with a crowd of 150,000 people waving American and German flags. Clarence Chamberlin piloted the flight, which was co-piloted by Charles Levine. This flight was longer and went a farther distance than Lindberg, who stopped in Paris.
Lindbergh, who made his transatlantic journey just two months earlier, was originally going to fly the Bellanca Columbia plane. Claims suggest Lindbergh wanted to fly solo, but Bellanca thought it was dangerous because of the duration of the flight.
Bellanca developed several aviation patents that helped propel the industry, including the first fully retractable landing gear. His Bellanca model CH-400 Skyrocket was also the first to cross the Pacific nonstop.
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Chris R. Vaccaro is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island. He is a media executive, professor, historian, and author from Long Island. If you suggest who we should profile next, email [email protected].