The first flight across the United States took 49 days and involved 75 landings, many of which were crashes.

The journey began on September 17, 1911, in New York and ended on November 5 in California. Rodgers flew a Wright Model EX biplane with a small 35-horsepower engine. A grape soda company called Vin Fiz paid for the flight to advertise their drink.Rodgers traveled about 4,321 miles in total. He only spent about 82 hours actually flying in the air. The rest of the 49 days were used to fix the plane after 15 major crashes and many smaller accidents.The plane was rebuilt so many times that it was almost entirely new by the end. Only the vertical rudder and one wing piece were still from the original plane. A special train followed Rodgers with spare parts and mechanics to help with the constant repairs.Rodgers wanted to win a 50,000 dollar prize from a man named William Randolph Hearst. The prize had a 30-day time limit. Because the trip took 49 days, Rodgers did not get the money.