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First Transatlantic Flight

Special Exhibition
100th Anniversary of the First Transatlantic Flight
May 4, 2019 – June 2, 2019


Opening Ceremony: May 6th  at 7:00pm

Exhibition Space Open Hours: 10:00am – 4:00pm starting with May 4th.

Location: Rockaway Artists Alliance, Studio 7 Gallery
 Gateway National Recreation Area
 Rockaway Point, NY 11695
 Fort Tilden, Rockaways

Cost: Free

Special outdoor ceremony to be held on Wednesday, May 8th  at the nearby Riis Landing with participation of the Navy, Coast Guard, NYPD, FDNY, local schools, and family members of the crews of the historic flight.  The ceremony begins at 9:30am.

1st Transatlantic Flight-US Navy Seaplane Division One, 1919

Join NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich, the Queens Historical Society, and the Rockaway Artists Alliance as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the flight of the NC-4, the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

The US Navy Seaplane NC-4 was assembled and took off from the Rockaway Naval Air Station on May 8, 1919. The exhibition commemorating this memorable event  will be hosted at the RAA’s T-7 Gallery in Fort Tilden.


🔍 Click to Enlarge

Image Credit: 
  1. 1st Transatlantic Flight-US Navy Seaplane Division One, 1919 NC-1, NC-3, and NC-4 and their crews begin their journey across the Atlantic at Rockaway Beach, Long Island, on May 8, 1919.
  2. Wikipedia  Crews of the NC-4, NC-3 and NC-1 immediately before the departure of the first transatlantic flight
  3. National Air and Space Museum  Navy destroyers stationed along the route guided the Curtiss flying boats on their journey across the Atlantic.
  4. 1st Transatlantic Flight-US Navy Seaplane Division One, 1919 A circa 1919 US Navy aerial view looking east at Rockaway NAS (courtesy of Richard Porcelli), showing several flying boats moored offshore, and the dirigible hangar.
  5. 1st Transatlantic Flight-US Navy Seaplane Division One, 1919 New York Times article on the NC-4 Transatlantic Flight.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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