The Pilot Who Accidently Flew Across The Ocean

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In 1938, American pilot Douglas Corrigan surprised the whole world when he landed his plane in Dublin. Everyone was surprised by the fact that HE MADE IT BY MERE MISTAKE. He was not the first pilot in the history of aviation to fly over the ocean, but he was the only pilot to do so by accident. For his mistake, Douglas earned the nickname "Wrong Way" Corrigan.
But was it really a mistake? Or did he fly to Ireland on purpose?
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Chapters:
00:00 - Tiny silver airplane
01:23 - Jenny
03:12 - Spirit of St. Louis
05:35 - Sunshine
09:15 - Los Angeles - New York
10:52- Wrong Way
13:00 - That's my story
15:53 - Flying Irishman
Watch NEXT: What makes the B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle" so special? • What Exactly Made The ...
Paper Skies - the channel with amazing stories about famous airplanes, historical events, or exceptional people that have changed the world of aviation or turned out to be unfairly forgotten.
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All content on Paper Skies is presented in historical context for educational purposes.
#aviation #history #skies

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

*New video is coming soon. Subscribe so you don't miss it.*

[@KermitFrazierdotcom]

This Channel is going to be Very Successful! Smash that Like Button!

[@bold810]

I won't miss it because I won't be looking for it. yeh.

[@FozzyZ28]

That's a brilliant story, I laughed so hard.... thought I was going to have a stroke!!!

[@transcend8447]

I may have an incredible aviation story for you. How do I contact you?

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

@@transcend8447 you can email me: captain [at] paperskies. net

[@AviationNut]

He lived until 1995 so he got to see all the amazing aircraft being built, like the SR-71, Concord, Boeing 747, B-2 stealth bomber. That guy is a legend.

[@De5tr0yer]

Exactly my thoughts. He would have witnessed tremendous change in aviation during his life.

[@lordofrims]

One of the wright brothers (Orville Wright) lived until 1948 and the first woman to make a roadtrip in a car (Bertha Benz) did it to 1944. They both witnessed the rise and golden era of aviation and cars.

[@ericrohrbaugh2713]

To include Man landing on The Moon! Wrong-Way Corrigan . . . . . . "Quite The Guy!". Ha haa . . . .

[@lordofrims]

The spatial transborders and buran too

[@trentr9762]

What a sweet way of looking at it :)

[@ditto5631]

"Task failed successfully" couldn't have fit any better!

[@ramal5708]

Successful failure is good fit as well

[@ditto5631]

@@ramal5708 yey

[@vaclav_fejt]

More like "If you lie, do it consistently."

[@lightningrodofh8509]

Remember kids, if you're going to lie, lie like Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan.

[@bartacomuskidd775]

to the bitter end.. outrageously

[@Axi-Sol]

Exactly what I was thinking lmao 😂

[@victorfinberg8595]

It's pretty unlikely that an experienced pilot would be unable to use a compass properly.

[@PercyNPC]

Umm ...No .... !

[@TheHeston83]

reminds me of Wrongway Feldman

[@AviationNut]

He knew exactly what he was doing, he was not a stupid man. They didn't want to let him cross the Atlantic so he decided to pretend it was a navigational mistake.😂

[@Mr_Meowingtons]

That hole flying from NY to Los Angeles was all practice flites haha

[@philam1973]

He original plan was to fly to Ireland. When his compass was broken he still managed to arrive at his goal. That was equivalent to hitting a bullseye while riding on a horse riding away from the target.

[@spunn_co]

ya .. he had to be like .. whys there water below me .. ?

[@tremendousbaguette9680]

Not to mention the sun being at his right side instead of his left.

[@spunn_co]

@@tremendousbaguette9680 ya i want what he was smoken ..

[@richardlooch2109]

this guy is a legend. he had a dream to fly to dublin so by fucking god he flew to dublin while extending the middle finger to bureaucracy.

[@brianwest2775]

That bureaucracy probably made him successful because it gained more experience and upgraded his plane.

[@vincedibona4687]

I have heard that when Corrigan got out of the plane in Dublin, he was heard saying “LETS GO BRANDON!”

[@richardlooch2109]

@@vincedibona4687 i think brandon was only about 245 yrs old at that time. he is the only man alive who has signed the mayflower compact. ah, those were the good old days.

[@WernerKlorand]

You don't hit Dublin simply by flying East from New York. Dublin lies on 53 degrees latitude North, NY 40 degrees. He would end up in Braga (Portugal) or maybe even Barcelona. Also Dublin is located on the EAST coast of Ireland, so he had to cross the entire island before landing. That guy knew damn well where he was going, it is in fact a remarkable piece of navigation!

[@picklechin2716]

compas brok, i go to dublen.

[@renneverbright]

Los Angeles is 34 degrees, he would have been travelling slightly north of east.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

For the most direct route there is indeed quite more than simply the wrong direction. A straight flight to Dublin goes almost perfectly over Boston, passes between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to then go over Newfoundland. It's also about 1060 km or 1900 miles longer.

[@jaysilverheals4445]

correct he did it on purpose and was not lost or go the wrong way.

[@papadopp3870]

@@jaysilverheals4445 Yeah, I can see that… today it would be considered branding! It worked, too. In the ‘30’s, everyone in America and Europe knew of “Wrong Way” Corrigan.

[@brett7406]

The headlines printed backwards were priceless!

[@hraharahra]

Yeah, I was laughing hard at that!

[@dxb8086]

Not quite. The New York Post was priced 2¢ per paper in 1938. :D

[@jamesm3471]

Ekoj eht teg ton od dna cixelsyd ma I yrros…

[@nitsu2947]

@@jamesm3471 same

[@troyboy2784]

I wonder where would he ended up if he'd tried to fly Sunshine back to the US? Beijing?

[@auxencefromont1989]

Moscow

[@icannotfly]

the moon lol

[@absolarix]

Sydney

[@leifvejby8023]

Hard to tell, but he was forbidden to, so didn't.

[@dailencarter5517]

@@leifvejby8023 They probably forbade him from flying to guarantee that he will come home, in the RIGHT way

[@adamestes5227]

A few years ago, Corrigan’s family donated his Curtiss Robin to the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California, where it is now on public display. Thanks for covering this story!

[@cpt_nordbart]

It wouldn't be wrong to put it next to Lindbergh's Spirit of St.Louis but i guess that's okay too. :)

[@CASA-dy4vs]

@@cpt_nordbartlol that would be nice because having your plane who also crossed the Atlantic next to one of the first people would be sick

[@dboboc]

To me it’s more of an accomplishment than Lindbergh’s. His plane wasn’t specifically built for the trip or in as good condition and he didn’t have any investors.

[@SkooterxD]

A living example of "its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"

[@kasuraga]

16:03 "You're in trouble, but we like you, so you're only in trouble till we get home"

[@irresistablejewel]

I see why they didn't let him fly back ;-)

[@alexwest2573]

I love when that cop walks up to the plane and the pilot opens the door for him and it just falls off and the cop does a double take between him and the door 😂🤣😂

[@Melody_Raventress]

Says it all. Such a classic america moment, before those mostly became embarrassing.

[@allwinds3786]

I remember seeing him on Gilligan's Island where he played himself as a lost aviator stranded on the island

[@pja0102]

The actor was Hans Conried and the character was named Wrong Way Feldman.

[@robertwokosin1293]

One of my favorites, we tried to add up the number of people who visited the island and got lost around a hundred.

[@danieljackson654]

My father was a pilot in that era and told me (as part of our family tradition) that it was a fully planned flight. He simply was not of the Hero Class of Aviators so he was not given clearance to fly to Europe. Okay, he said. I'll fly home, was given clearance to take off, and continued his merry way to Europe. Interestingly with his success, the age of the age of the Great Aviators came to a close.

[@LordDaret]

Hmm, that is an interesting fact to note. I had never considered that WW1 pilots managed to monopolize the airspace because of their reputation amongst airfields.

[@kilianortmann9979]

So that's where the compass of Jack Sparrow ended up.

[@nanorider426]

Good one!

[@kohndoe9440]

The compass only shown to thing you want most,in this case Ireland

[@ricecakeFTW]

That plane currently sits in Chino, CA at "Planes of Fame" museum waiting restoration.

[@ScampiTheSighted]

I was searching the comments for info on the plane, thank you! Fantastic to hear it that was preserved

[@Riccardo_Silva]

Douglas Corrigan, a name to remember! Crossing the Atlantic without permission on a 900 bucks plane! From now on he'd be one of my heroes! BTW, great videos! Thank you and keep up doing them!

[@spyder000069]

"It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission"

[@erictaylor5462]

I've heard about this. I'm about 80% sure that he knew exactly where he was going. He wanted to fly trans-Atlantic but couldn't get permission, so he just did it without permission.

[@mofayer]

I'm 99% sure that he did it on purpose, just look at the title of his book, "that's my story", it should have been "that's my story and I'm sticking to it".

[@Melody_Raventress]

100% why half ass it?

[@kasuraga]

This guy reminds me a lot of the pioneers of Nascar. Working class guys that saved up everything to put into their pride and joy so they can try and accomplish big dreams.

[@stejer211]

You mean booze smuggling?

[@dominatorandwhocaresanyway9617]

booze smugglers with tuned cars racing who has the fastest car?

[@Ken-sc3gx]

@@stejer211 Ya know, Corrigan and those "booze smugglers" had a lot in common. The gub-mint told them they couldn't do something and they did it, anyway. Humans have been making booze for thousands of years. When some do-gooders and selfrighteous ninnies try to impose THEIR virtues upon people, the people will flip them the bird and do it.

[@kraanz]

The big dream being driving in a circle. Over and over again. I will never understand the appeal of Nascar.

[@kasuraga]

@@kraanz race some oval races in vr with a sim rig and you'll get it

[@rabidspatula1013]

There are so many amazing characters in the pioneering years of aviation: Lindburgh, Post, Earhart, Hughes, and many others. But Wrong Way Corrigan is my all time favorite :D

[@RTFLDGR]

Ernest Gann.

[@gabrieljohannson6777]

This channel should have 1M+ subs. A real gem. As for Mr Corrigan? Seriously? He had a compass and flew in the wrong direction? This guy was lucky to survive.

[@daraghosullivan1157]

It's pretty obvious that he knew what he was doing. That's what makes this story endearing.

[@jameshenderson4876]

The title of his autobiography is a subtle admission that it was no accident.

[@olsonspeed]

"That's my story and I am sticking to it"

[@Pooneil1984]

And who doesn't believe that he was a contrary and inventive person who worked to fulfill his dream despite being frustrated by bureaucrats at every turn?

[@irresistablejewel]

Yes, the flying Irishman ends up in Dublin (what a coincidence); didn't notice all the water?! Some mistake ;-) He had previously been denied permission to fly this route... a 29 hour flight tho'... amazing accomplishment!

[@Pooneil1984]

@randomguy8196 Could be! But I''d like to think he was a rebel anyway.

[@krozareq]

​@randomguy8196 Yeah but he can smell the ocean. He knew where he was :D

[@krozareq]

@randomguy8196 Absolutely piston planes don't go very high up. And there's no way he confused the north Atlantic, even a cloudy one, with going over the western US and Rockies in a small single engine piston plane

[@SynchroScore]

@randomguy8196 I doubt he could smell anything but the leaking gasoline.

[@RichieWellock]

I thankyou so much for that, this has been the best part of my day watching this.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

Thank you, Richie! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. 👍

[@carlmanvers5009]

I have no great love for heavy handed rules either. Well done Wrong Way. You manage to inspire people long after your passing. Which means you definitely had a life well lived.

[@angelachouinard4581]

My grandmother told usabout Corrigan as kids. When we were contrary, she would ask us if we thought we were Wrong Way Corrigan, so she had to tell us all about him. As kids we thought he was pretty cool for putting one over on the authorities and never changing his story. Thanks for telling this great story.

[@kasuraga]

Man I love your channel. You tell such great stories that I've never heard of anywhere else. You absolutely deserve 100x the sub count you've got. I can't wait to see the algorithm hit you like a freight train.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

Thank you, Kas b! 👍

[@hraharahra]

@@PaperSkiesAviation yep, pretty much what he said. After some watching I noticed the subs count and I thought to myself, that's unusually small for such nice channel. Then I saw when your first video was posted! Keep your good work, I believe your channel, will explode!

[@brianwest2775]

A good lessen about setbacks is that they may actually be propelling you to success. The bureaucracy delays ensured that he was more experienced and had an upgraded plane before he attempted his flight.

[@jackbenson9753]

After binging your videos I look down to see the sub count which I expecting it to be in the millions, as that is how high quality your videos are keep up the good work.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

Thank you, Jack!

[@QuintonMurdock]

Must have inspired wrong way Feldman from Gilligan’s island

[@JesusBehindtheWheel]

Truly inspirational for anyone pursuing a dream while in constant battle against doubt, the odds, and life in general. Hard work pays off.

[@peterstickney7608]

Excellent videos! They're very well done. I do have one bit of a bone to pick with this one, though. The first Transatlantic crossing by an airplane wasn't by Alcock and Brown, but by the crew of the U.S. Navy Flying Boat NC-4, which completed its crossing 2 weeks earlier, flying from Trepassey Bay, Newfoundland to the Azores, from the Azores to Portugal, and then up to England. Alcock and Brown completed the first non-stop crossing, and qualified for the Daily Mail's prize by completing the crossing in less than 72 hours. Of course, this has little to do with Doug Corrigan, himself.

[@richardhardaker4586]

A cynic might think he flew across the Atlantic deliberately, I wonder? Great story thanks for the video.

[@hond654]

Definitely, unless he flew in the night. I am sure if he had a watch and saw the sun, he could have figured out he flew to east...

[@Pooneil1984]

An optimist or independent minded person would think the same thing too.

[@huntergray3985]

Spirit of St Louis: Spirit of St Patrick.

[@PoeRacing]

*Insert Snakes on a Plane Reference*

[@felixcat9318]

I think it's widely accepted that Pilot Corrigan came up with his 'Wrong Way' story simply to placate the authorities that had refused him permission to make his transatlantic flight. It also endeared him to millions of people whom admired his skills, courage and determination in completing his flight, and then coming up with his highly amusing retort to what they saw as pompous officials in a way they couldn't disprove! The story certainly made him more famous than the flight itself. He's the proverbial 'Legend in his own Lifetime'.

[@loonatticat]

I’m sad. After recently discovering Paper Skies, I’ve watched ALL of his videos. What a great selection of obscure and fascinating stories! I’m a 50 year old Texan and wasn’t familiar with most of these tales of American aviators. Special thanks to a Ukrainian in Canada for the enlightenment! I’m really looking forward to more of the CRAZY stories from the former Soviet Union. As the former Soviet states are becoming more open about their past mistakes, I see commercial opportunities for great entertainment. With excellent production quality and engaging humor, Paper Skies could very well inspire several big-budget, modern adaptations for film. Edit: Ukraine, not Russia.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. The only thing I’m not Russian. I’m Ukrainian, who used to live in the USSR. I know and I do understand why people might think I’m Russian, so I’m not offended. Thx again for your kind words!

[@loonatticat]

@@PaperSkiesAviation I made an unfounded assumption based on your accent, so I apologize. I’m sure many Ukrainians WOULD be offended if mistakenly identified as Russian, so again, I appreciate your good humor. People like you are the best part of KZbin!

[@teslayaver6976]

"But I sure am ashamed of my poor navigational skills" that is just pure gold

[@afreightdogslife]

Loved the story of this intrepid pilot who didn't know the word NO. Apparently he was a down to earth individual, a very nice simple man and a good pioneer pilot. It was thanks to people like him that today we have and get to enjoy private and commercial aviation. RIP Flying Irishman.

[@dougscott8161]

Sometimes it's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission......lol Thanks for this reminder of one of my long time hero's.

[@sergeikorolevGZ]

That Douglas is my new hero. The screwdriver thing mid-flight?.... Genius

[@sailendrayalamanchili4126]

Douglas Corrigan, a true American hero, embodying all the great qualities of that pioneering nation. Self reliance, boundless confidence, and a dogged determination to achieve ones goal, despite bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of sponsors to support his adventure.

[@rockyblacksmith]

What I find almost as impressive as Douglas' flight is the fact that the fame apparently didn't go to his head. He kept on living a pretty normal life and used what he gained pretty well as it seems.

[@slick4401]

You don't just tell an Irish person "no".

[@bengaliinplatforms1268]

Actually you do, very servile to authority

[@stevegiboney4493]

Does anybody remember the gilligans island episode where Wrong Way landed on their island, they hoped to be rescued, but after he took off, he flew the wrong way?🤣🤣🤣

[@TheBeteljuice]

Another great story... Another network quality documentary. Well researched and amazing footage! This is the sort of programming the History channel USED to have before it sold its soul. Thanks again!!

[@numberpirate]

You can still get to LA if you head east.

[@colt45jr]

“auto captions are processing” 😅

[@RagamuffinforGod]

Thank you for making this video, I really enjoyed watching it!

[@Dr_Larken]

I fell in love at flying because a pilot came to my school when I was in the third grade look like I was able to start applying in the ninth grade and by time I was 17 I finally got my pilots license! From Corrigan, Travolta, and every other pilot that fell in love with it the biggest pattern you’ll Constantly find is that it doesn’t matter what happens in the end result is to get up in the air

[@camaira_birds-views]

I absolutely love your videos, and your style of narration

[@jdmanfred]

This was such a fun watch! It was a perfect 10 for being equally informative, entertaining, and full of good humor.

[@Robutube1]

What a great story - and you told it so well. A very nicely made film! Thank you.

[@meetoo594]

I love the way everyone up to and including the US president and Irish prime minister as well as the police and aviation officials knew full well he was fibbing about flying the wrong way but let it slide anyway. Absolute legend of a pilot. Really cool heartwarming story.

[@briyanpaul4617]

This channel is super under rated. I loved yours videos.

[@wildancrazy159]

Getting into this channel, and enjoyed this story. Keep it up.

[@mboyer68]

Excellent job on the video!! What a great story!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to create, edit and post your videos, they're all great!!! I wish i had enough money to give you some for your work and the enjoyment I've gotten from them...

[@Em_Youl]

Your Channel is underappreciated! Your Videos are amazing and very entertaining keep up the good work!

[@grendelgrendelsson5493]

I've only just found your channel and very glad I am too! I hope your channel takes wings! Subscribed and looking forward to your future content.

[@drawingboard82]

Excellent work, well made. Thanks for sharing.

[@ianababenkova2969]

Thank you for your videos. I’ve never heard about it 😊

[@juliadagnall5816]

I love that he named his plane ‘Sunshine’. That plane was his baby and he was flying for the joy of it. He was definitely the good kind of crazy. Another really sweet (pun intended) aviation story is that of Gail Halvorsen who during the Berlin airlift started what would become known as Operation “Little Vittles” by dropping chocolate and other sweets so that the children of Berlin could have something to enjoy amidst all the pain and uncertainty of the blockade. What started off as one man and his aircrew dropping candy bought from the airbase commissary with handkerchief parachutes caught the public imagination, continuing until the airlift came to an end.

[@florentk6447]

Thank you for the cool story and great story telling. I hope more people will get to see your videos

[@komerwest3748]

One of my favorite stories growing up.

[@joeg5414]

Nice! New aviation channel is always exciting! Good videos

[@elamentri]

I have just started following Paper Skies, can't describe how much I love these videos

[@kingace6186]

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan is a role model.

[@MikeNeri1]

A truly marvelous story! Thank you

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff

[@sumanthkris777]

The second video of paper skies.. I subscribed watching one. How an Engineer took off by accident .. Wow ! I loved this too.. Great Job Sir !!

[@TurboHappyCar]

Amazing video, well done! 👍

[@u0aol1]

So glad I found your channel, lots of great stories!

[@sumanthkris777]

hit the bell Icon too.. LOL .. I simply loved your two videos... Keep up the good work God Bless.

[@DanDavisHistory]

This was a fantastic story, thanks

[@mikew735]

This was cool, you're channel has great videos, always enjoyable.

[@toddcott9510]

This is a first-class video well presented. Much appreciated.

[@SIDCIAVIC]

I have always known of 'Wrong Way' Corrigan, but this is the first time I've heard the story. Thank you!

[@akaiser94]

just binged your entire channel. fantastic

[@richardlooch2109]

cant wait for more vids. i can tell that this guy is invested in this channel and i think it will hit a spike in the algorithm and all of a sardine he will have 300k subs.

[@jasonworden8209]

Excellent story! Thanks!

[@spacelemur7955]

My dad was a kid when this happened. He and his three brothers were all airplane nerds, avid readers of _Flying Aces Magazines_ (which my brother, a pilot still has). The four brothers all became WWII pilots. Dad and his brother would occasionally joke and call one of we cousins "Wrong-Way Corrigan", and we never asked if that meant anything, or was just a goofy name they had come up with. Thus, over 60 years since I last heard the name, I recognized it instantly, and now I finally know where it originated. Closure!😉

[@secretagent86]

great video. those were the days. subscribed

[@frankgulla2335]

What a great vidoee and collection of period film and photos. Thanks you for a great story about true Aviation hero.

[@Chrism1042o]

Great story telling man

[@kimchi2780]

Excellent channel!!!

[@sailendrayalamanchili4126]

Fantastic video !

[@beef5162yt]

Really cool video!

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

Thank you, beef5162!

[@Jay_Speed]

Very good, really liked this.

[@ibreihvr]

Amazing story! Thanks for telling it.

[@FrancoCastro]

This is the first time I know about this, such a great story. It gave me a big smile

[@vbtktr]

Great story. Great, Great story telling skill. After watching full video, I also believe he was lying it was not mistake. Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan was brave, angry, young man and such people can do impossible things, if target given.

[@beatbox20fmj]

Charles: Ahh was it transcontinental? This one's on me, I swear we agreed on transatlantic

[@Andres66Cali]

What a fantastic story! :-)

[@rpower1401]

Great video, really made me smile.

[@lakrids-pibe]

Have you done a video about Mathias Rust? He flew in 1987 without permision in a small Cessna from West Germany to the Soviet union and landed on the Red Square in Moscow. He did it in the name of peace and friendship.

[@slaphappyduplenty2436]

Reminds me of the time I was going to my girlfriend at the time, but went the wrong way and ended up at her sister’s house by mistake. That also ended up as a success of sorts, but there was no ticker tape parade.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

😀

[@tomperry1048]

... wink, wink ...

[@Commander_Bunny]

Very good, Spasibo!

[@iKR-iKeysRacing]

What an incredible story!! Congrats for the video and the channel as a whole 👍💪 Marco (iKR)

[@MM-un4sn]

Congrats! Your videos are awesome, both the way the stories are built and the edition itself. Speaking of pioneers, have you ever heard of Alberto Santos Dumont and his work with dirigibles and aircraft in France ?

[@JurijFedorov]

Amazing channel. Should blow up.