Wrong Way Corrigan's Wild Ride: The Unbelievable Tale of an Accidental Transatlantic Flight

By Mara Rockliff

On July 17, 1938, American pilot Douglas Corrigan took off from New York City's Floyd Bennett Field for a long-haul trip. He had 320 gallons of gas in a rickety Curtiss Robin airplane and a license to fly cross-country to California. But when he should have turned west for his route across America, Corrigan continued east. The following morning, he landed in Dublin, Ireland. Was it truly a mistake? Or the fulfillment of the dream of flying across the Atlantic?

Award-winning author Mara Rockliff traces the improbable and singular story of Corrigan's flight. From his early days as a pilot and aircraft mechanic--including time building Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis"--to the media frenzy that surrounded his "accidental" journey, Wrong Way Corrigan's Wild Ride is a fast-paced, wildly entertaining account of the golden days of aviation and of the first (and only) pilot to fly across the Atlantic "by mistake."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1324125128
• ISBN13: 9781324125129
• Release Date: November 2026
• Publisher: Norton Young Readers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9