Daring rescue of flying boat recalled
The rescue involved the Bermuda Sky Queen which dramatically ditched hundreds of miles out on the Atlantic after a leaking tank caused it to run out of fuel.
Capt Chuck Martin managed to get the flying boat down safely and all 63 passengers and crew were rescued by a US coastguard ship.
Last night Richard Dolman, whose father was on the flight, was one of the special guests welcomed to Foynes for the celebrations which will be centred on the town’s flying boat museum opened 20 years ago.
Margaret O’Shaughnessy, director of the museum, said: “We have made contact with many people who have links to Foynes when it was a centre for transatlantic aviation with flying boats landing here en route to the US and Europe.
“We are delighted that the son of one of the passengers on the Bermuda Sky Queen has come over.”
A daughter of Col Charles Lindburgh, who made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in The Spirit of St Louis, also sent a special message.
Col Lindburgh, although he never flew into Foynes, visited the village to greet a flying boat which had friends on board while in this country for a brief visit. Ms O’Shaughnessy said: “We made contact with Reeve Lindburgh, a daughter of Charles Lindburgh through the Lindburgh Foundation in Minnesota. Last Friday I got a lovely letter from her saying she could not make it over for health reasons.”
This week marks the 70th anniversary of the first commercial flight out of Foynes.
The Foynes Flying Boat Museum attracts more than 30,000 visitors each year when it is open from March to December 1.
It is regarded as one of the finest aviation museums of its kind featuring the full-size replica of the fuselage of the Yankee Clipper flying boat made by Bill Fallover. The replica cost €1 million to make.
