The 75th anniversary of the first east-to-west crossing of the Atlantic by air is to be commemorated at a ceremony at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Co Dublin.
The aerodrome was the site for the April 12th, 1928, embarkation of the Bremen, a low-wing Junkers monoplane co-piloted by Laoisman James Fitzmaurice, which completed the first east to west crossing to the United States.
A private ceremony recognising the feat will be staged at Baldonnel tomorrow morning, and will include the unveiling of a plaque marking the spot at which the Brementook off.
This will be followed by the departure of a commemorative flight from the aerodrome, in which a modern-day twin propeller Bremen, piloted by Brig Gen Ralph James, will recreate the original flight.
The event is being staged by the Air Corps, South Dublin County Council and the Bremen 75 Committee.
The Bremen'sflight is generally regarded as one of the most important in aviation history. It came nine years after the first air crossing of the Atlantic, by Britons John Alcock and Arthur Brown, whose aircraft landed in Connemara in June 1919.
However, the flight of the Bremenrepresented an even greater challenge, as its course was set against prevailing westerly winds. After 36 hours in the air, the Bremenlanded on April 13th, 1928, on a frozen reservoir on Greenly Island, between Newfoundland and Quebec.
Two million people turned out in New York to greet James Fitzmaurice and pilots Capt Hermann Koehl and Baron von Huenefeld , who were each awarded he Distinguished Flying Cross by US President Calvin Coolidge - the first foreigners to receive the tribute.