63385

US Army Air Service aviator Lt. William DeVoe Coney (Nov. 20, 1893 - Mar. 30, 1921), standing beside the Atlantic DH-4M-2 aircraft (a DeHavilland DH.4 built under license in the U.S.) (USAAS Ser. No. A.S. 63385) he flew during a transcontinental flight in February 1921. From Wikipedia - United States Army Air Service: On February 24, 1921, 1st Lt. William D. Coney of the 91st Aero Squadron completed a transcontinental flight of 22.5 hours flying time from Rockwell Field, California, to Pablo Beach, Florida, in a DeHavilland DH-4, which carried enough fuel for 14 hours of flight. However he had left Rockwell on February 21 intending to complete the flight within 24 hours, making just one stop in Dallas, Texas, but was thwarted by bad weather and engine problems. One month later, taking off at 1:00 a.m. of March 25, he repeated the attempt going in the opposite direction, but developed engine problems while flying low in a fog near Crowville, Louisiana, southeast of Monroe. He crashed into a tree trying to land and was severely injured, dying five days later in a Natchez, Mississippi hospital. See also: www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/william-devoe-coney/

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