TLA Secretary/Treasurer’s Report – Louis Amato-Gauci

Association Business

TLA Secretary/Treasurer’s Report

By the time you read this, summer will be in full swing. Members of this Association will have just celebrated, in President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Within the space of less than a year Corrigan had published a best-selling autobiography and inked a chronological order, La Fête nationale du Québec, Canada Day, or Independence Day, marveled at the fireworks displays and savored the opportunity to socialize outdoors. Some of you will have abandoned your home offices in favor of a cottage or a cabin by a lake, while others are jetting around the world in an effort to make up for all the lost travel opportunities we have experienced over the past few years.

If you fall into the latter category, as you sit back, relax and enjoy your in-flight hospitality for the journey to or from wherever you are visiting, spare a thought for Wrong Way Corrigan, whose trans-Atlantic misadventure is commemorated by some aviation museums during the month of July. Clyde Groce (“Douglas”) Corrigan was an IrishAmerican stunt pilot from Galveston, Texas. In 1938, he requested permission to fly from New York to Ireland, as an homage to his childhood hero, Charles Lindbergh. The request was denied by the Bureau of Air Commerce – twice – on the grounds that his single-engine aircraft, a rebuilt and heavily modi- Louis Amato-Gauci fied 1929 Curtiss Robin named Sunshine, might not survive the journey. On July 17, 1938, the disappointed pilot told officials he was heading back home to Long Beach, California. Shortly after taking off from Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Brooklyn, New York, Corrigan encountered thick cloud cover, which he cited, along with his malfunctioning 20-year old compass, as the causes of some serious navigational errors. He claimed that when he finally dropped below the clouds, he was surprised to find himself over water, but he continued on his journey and, upon landing some 28 hours later, discovered that he was in Baldonnel, near Dublin, Ireland.

Corrigan insisted that it was all an honest mistake, but could not explain why he had loaded 40 hours’ worth of fuel into his tiny aircraft. Aviation officials reportedly sent a 600-word telegram listing all the regulations broken by the unexpected trans-Atlantic flight. With his pilot certificate suspended for 14 days, Corrigan was compelled to return home to the United States on board the SS Manhattan, with his aircraft stored below deck. His arrival in New York was met with a huge celebration, with ticker-tape parades there and in Chicago, and a trip to the White House to meet movie deal with RKO Pictures, earning $75,000 for playing himself in The Flying Irishman. Corrigan never deviated from his version of events, but it is widely believed that he purposely sought to sidestep aviation authorities to achieve his dream of a transatlantic flight. Now, he did fly across the Atlantic at a time when this was only attempted by the very bravest and best aviators of the day – famous fliers like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart – and he did it with no funding, with a leaky fuel tank and no radio. But Corrigan set out on his journey in such an unorthodox way that he is hardly ever named among the leading pioneers in aviation history. He is however, often referred to in jest. So there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. And speaking of the right way of doing things, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Steve Canty for a great year at the helm of TLA’s Executive Committee. His attention to detail and fiscal prudence made my job as quaestor so much easier. I would also like to thank all members who did the right thing by paying their dues in a timely manner, allowing us to reach our budget for membership revenues by early March. And I would like to thank my good friend, Jeff Pincus, for doing the right thing by saying “yes” when the Nominating Committee put his name forward to serve as your new Secretary/Treasurer. I am delighted to hand over all minute-taking and financial reporting responsibilities to him. No doubt he, and all of you, will be happy to hear that the Association continues to be on solid financial ground. Your Executive Committee will make every effort to keep it that way. As of April 30, 2022, the association had cash assets of $588,437, of which $135,967 constituted restricted funds. Of the $588,437, current assets of $123,717 are in certificates of deposit while the remaining is in business checking or money market accounts. The association began the fiscal year with accumulated net assets of $285,763 and year-to-date gain is ($11,025). Total year-to-date revenue$356,772 which is 58% of the 2022 budgeted amount. Total year-to-date expenses are $359,248 which is 57% of the 2022 budgeted amount.