Wrong Way Corrigan

Unless you are
As old as I am
You’ve probably never heard
Of Wrong Way Corrigan

If you happened
To have heard his name
You most likely assumed
A wrong turn caused his fame

An avid pilot, Corrigan wanted to cross the Atlantic solo
He felt duplicating Lindberg’s feat to be his mission
The federal aviation authorities felt his plane was insufficiently sturdy
And repeatedly denied him permission

In 1938, he departed New York’s Floyd Bennet Field
And landed in Ireland after 28 hours in the air
Having filed for California as his destination
He claimed it was a wrong turn that got him there

Aviation officials took 600 words
To list the regulations he had broken
They suspended his license for 14 days
Considering his multiple offenses, really just a token

So Douglas Corrigan showed himself to be
A really expert flier
But considering the details of his cross Atlantic flight
Also a very imaginative liar