WEBVTT

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- I am welcoming the
aircraft and the crews

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who are reenacting the
historic flight of the NC-4.

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As a Coast Guard aviator,

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I'm especially pleased to be welcoming

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my good friend, Admiral Howie Thorsen,

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who, today, is reliving the role

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of Coast Guard Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone.

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First pilot on the original NC-4 flight,

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67 years ago.

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Elmer Stone was a pioneer

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in the Coast Guard's rich
history of maritime flying,

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which dates back to the
early days of naval aviation.

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It was his vision of
using flying light boats

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to assist in the search and
rescue of survivors at sea,

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which led to the founding
of Coast Guard aviation.

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Coast Guard Lieutenant Stone
was Naval aviator, number 38.

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He got his wings at the old
Naval aeronautics station

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in Pensacola in 1917

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and while serving as chief
test pilot of sea planes

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in the Navy's aviation division,

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he was selected to be a pilot on the NC-4.

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His participation in that flight

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was certainly a springboard
for the Coast Guard's aviation.

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The Coast Guard is proud of
the long and close relationship

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we've had with Naval
aviation over the years.

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It started with Elmer Stone.

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It has flourished over the years

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and today, now again, we are very pleased

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to be participating in this ceremony

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which ushers in the 75th
anniversary of Naval aviation

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and commemorates the historic flight

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made by those pioneers of the NC-4.

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Thank you.

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(audience clapping)

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- Will not be here long so,

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Jackie Voxer, close the ceremony, please.

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(marching footsteps)

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(unclear loud speaker announcement)

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- Prepare the colors.

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(Upbeat marching band music)

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- [Man Offscreen] Get on the
Marines, get on the Marines,

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get on the Marines (indistinct)

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(Continued marching band music)

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- NC-4 and that's, this was
about the same temperature

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they were flying in.

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- [Man Off Screen] Okay ready?

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- Connie!

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What time did you
finally get to South wave

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with ah this first leg
of your journey from

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Rockaway to the Chatham?

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- Well, we finally got
here about two-thirty today

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and I was running a little
bit behind schedule.

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We took off at a historic time of 10:02

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ten-oh-two from Rockaway.

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We flew down the shore the same

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same thing that the NC-4 did,

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luckily we didn't break down, though,

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and have to drift for
all night into Chatham.

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- Tell me, Connie, what were some

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of your thoughts as
you went through there?

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Cause I know that you're familiar with the

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history of the NC-4.

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- Well, I think we took off

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and we had very good
weather when we took off

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about the same way that they had.

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They was able to come on

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in the NC one and three,

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as we all know,

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made it all the way to
Halifax on the first day

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and the NC-4 was a lame
duck and they'd broke down

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at sea, had to land 90 miles
off and taxi all night.

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And so if you fly by Chatham

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and the old historic
spot, well it's really

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really kind of gives
you the jitters there.

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You know because it's thinking
you're making the same

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historic flight that they
did and we're going to

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do our dead level best
to try to recreate it.

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We had quite a cold front
move in and this is roughly

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the same temperature that
those people were flying in.

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They're flying in open cockpits.

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They had no more than
carpenters levels for,

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for instruments.

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And I can just imagine how
chilling it would be sitting

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behind a very, very small windshield

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with goggles on today, flying along, even

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though they were just
going at 75 miles an hour.

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- Connie, tell me, how fast
were you going in this airplane?

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Compared to the speed that they were.

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- Well, we, we could have
gone a good bit faster.

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I say a good bit faster, a
PBY is not a fast airplane.

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We could have been cruising
along very easily at 120 knots

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but we had everything pulled back.

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And so it's indicating about 92 knots

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because we would like to kind of keep it,

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you know, kind of as close
to schedule as possible.

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And, and naturally we
have a tremendous amount

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of range on these planes.

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So, but we are trying to
keep as close as possible

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and, and we're so far we've done that.

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- How about the plans now?

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What happens here at (indistinct).........

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boarding the plane until
you get ready to take off?

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- Well, there's quite a few occasions

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that we've some of the
plans have been changed

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and we've just had a fantastic reception.

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I might say it's the first
time I've ever been popped

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on board and that's a little overwhelming,

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you know the being in the service,

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all of us have marched miles

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and miles and miles to the NC-4 flight,

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I mean the NC-4 march

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but I don't think that
it really struck home,

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that's an NC-4 march was
actually named after,

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or composed, after this historic flight.

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- Okay. I've got enough.

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(laughter)