St. John's — A Vickers Vimy biplane that will attempt to recreate the world's first transatlantic flight 85 years ago arrived in St. John's early Thursday night.
The plane, a 10-year-old copy of the one that British fliers John Alcock and Arthur Brown flew non-stop to Ireland from Newfoundland in 1919, touched down at St. John's International Airport shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time.
The plane left Quebec City earlier in the day with Mark Rebholz, a Boeing 747 pilot for United Airlines, and John LaNoue at the controls.
Mr. Rebholz, 52, will be joined next week by tycoon-adventurer Steve Fossett, 60, for the expected 18- to 20-hour flight to Clifden, Ireland.
A replica of the Vickers Vimy biplane that carried Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown on the first non-stop transatlantic crossing from St. John's to Clifden, Ireland in June, 1919, touched down on Thursday at St. John's International Airport. (Gary Hebbard, St. John's Telegram/CP)
Mr. Fossett made history in March, flying 67 hours to become the first person to fly around the world alone in a plane without stopping or refuelling.
Under power from its two Orenda piston engines, the Vickers Vimy chugs along at a speed of about 120 km/h.
Mr. Rebholz and Mr. Fossett will navigate the wood-and-canvas plane with only a compass and sextant — the same equipment that Alcock and Brown had.
“We are both extremely busy during the flight,” Mr. Rebholz said after arriving in the Newfoundland capital.
“Whoever is flying has his hands and feet on the controls all the time and he can't let go. Doing the navigating, using the old traditional style, you don't just sit there and watch numbers count down on a GPS — you have to do some calculations.”
Mr. Rebholz and Mr. Fossett expect to take off on the 3,040-kilometre flight to Ireland when the weather is right.
“At the first window of opportunity when the weather is good, we'll leave,” Mr. Rebholz said.
The Vimy Vickers, named after Vimy Ridge in France, was used as a bomber during the First World War.
The copy left its home base in Novato, Calif., on May 19 for the nine-leg, 7,200-kilometre journey to Newfoundland. Besides Quebec City, the plane's other Canadian stops were in Toronto and Ottawa.
Alcock and Brown made the first transatlantic crossing in 16 hours, 22 minutes.
Mr. Fossett, a former Chicago options trader, holds a number of aviation and sailing records, including the first solo balloon flight around the world in 13 days.
