1909: Wilbur Wright flew from Governor’s Island out past the Statue of Liberty, up the Hudson to Grant’s Tomb, and back to the island during New York’s Hudson-Fulton celebration. The original plans called for Wright to make a 10-mile or 1-hour long flight around the Statue of Liberty and Glenn Curtiss to make a 20-mile round-trip flight past Grant’s Tomb. When Curtiss could not make the flight due to high winds, Wright added the flight past Grant’s Tomb. He also added a bright red canoe to the Wright Flyer for an emergency water landing.
