Lithuania Aviators FDC

Lithuania FDC
Name: The 75th Anniversary of DARIUS and GIRĖNAS Flight
Date of Issue: 12 July 2008

This year Lithuania celebrates the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic flight performed by Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. The aircraft Lituanica took off from New York on July 15, 1933 at 6:24 a.m. for the flight to Kaunas. The both pilots lost their lives in the aircraft crash on the 17th of July, in the areas of Soldin, the current territory of Poland. No one persuasive reason explaining why Lituanica having covered the largest and the most difficult part of the route crashed only 650 kilometres short from the target. The flight across the Atlantic performed by the two brave and devoted sons of the Motherland having no necessary aerial navigation devices, except for compass, was a heroic deed in the aviation history.

After death Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas have been granted with different state awards of the Republic of Lithuania. In commemoration of the flight, postage stamps have been issued, the films Lituanikos sparnai (The Wings of Lituanica) and Skrydis per Atlantą (The Flight Across the Atlantic) produced, a number of books written. This flight is significant for the world aviation due to the fact that the pilots stayed airborne for 37 hours and 11 minutes and managed 6411 kilometres. Lituanica opened wider way for airmail between the continents of America and Europe.

Comment: Salute to these two forerunners of the World Aviation Development's History!!