List of Irish Sea crossings by air

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This is a list of notable first crossings of the Irish Sea.

Contents

First crossings

DateCrossingParticipant(s)AircraftDeparture point
Arrival point
Notes
22 July 1817First balloon Windham William Sadler [1] balloon Portobello Barracks, Dublin
Holyhead, Wales
Sadler's father, James Sadler had made an unsuccessful attempt in 1812.
22 April 1912First aeroplane Denys Corbett Wilson Blériot XI Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Crane, County Wexford
An attempt by Robert Loraine, in September 1910, failed when his Farman III biplane came down in the sea 200 ft (61 m) from the shore. [2]
1915First airshipSub Lt T.W. Elmhirst + crew SS-17 blimp Luce Bay, Scotland
Ireland
Airship became disabled, drifted across the Irish Sea, and carried out a successful 'balloon' landing in Ireland. [3]
5 July 1927First female aviator Mary, Lady Bailey [4] De Havilland DH.60X biplane
9 April 1951First helicopterLt Richard Beechener [5] Westland Dragonfly HR.1 VX600 Anthorn, Cumbria
Aldergrove, County Antrim
3 February 1963First glider (E-W)Charles Ross [6] Slingsby Skylark 3 Portmoak, Kinross-shire
Toome, County Antrim
27 December 1963First glider (W-E)Fg Offr Dmitri Zotov [7] EoN Olympia 2B Ballykelly, County Londonderry
Crianlarich, Perthshire
1 February 1970First hot-air balloonRaymond Munro [8] Canada 2 Brittas Bay, County Wicklow
Ennerdale, Cumbria
Raymond Munro (1921-1994) was inducted to the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. Awarded the Order of Canada in 1974. [9]
1987First microlightKeith ReynoldsPegasus XL weight-shift microlight Achieved while undertaking a circumnavigation of Great Britain. [10]
13 May 2007First autogyro Norman Surplus AutoGyro MT-03 Kirkbride, Cumbria
Larne, County Antrim
Norman Surplus went on to make the first circumnavigation of the world in an autogyro. [11]

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References

  1. Davies, Mark (2015). King of all balloons : the adventurous life of James Sadler, the first English aeronaut. Amberley, Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing. pp. 194–197. ISBN   978-1445682860 . Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  2. "Flying the Irish Channel". Flight. London: 379. 27 April 1912. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  3. Mowthorpe, Ces (1995). Battlebags : British airships of the First World War : an illustrated history. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing. p. 29. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  4. Evers, Liz (March 2023). "Bailey, Mary ('Lady Bailey') (née Westenra)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  5. Warner, Guy (2007). Flying from Derry: Eglinton & naval aviation in Northern Ireland. Newtownards, Northern Ireland: April Sky Design. p. 142. ISBN   978-0955509100 . Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  6. Ross, Charles C. (April 1963). "Wave across the Irish Sea" (PDF). Sailplane and Gliding. Vol. XIV, no. 2. London, UK: The British Gliding Association. pp. 76–77.
  7. "Ireland to Scotland" (PDF). Sailplane and Gliding. Vol. XV, no. 1. London, UK: The British Gliding Association. February 1964. p. 44.
  8. "Ray Munro, one of the most decorated Canadians in history". savecfbrockcliffe's blog. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  9. "Raymond Alan Munro". Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  10. "The BMAA 1987". British Microlighting. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  11. "G-YROX Goes Global Timeline". G-YROX. Retrieved 17 January 2025.

See also