July 13, 1919
The first two-way air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was completed by Major George Herbert Scott of the British Royal Air Force. The aircraft used for this crossing was the military airship R34, which had been built by the British engineering conglomerate William Beardmore and Company.
On July 2, Scott — along with his crew and several passengers — had departed aboard R34 from a Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) station near the village of East Fortune in Scotland. After surviving various storms and fogs en route, Scott and those traveling with him on R34 landed at the village of Mineola, New York, on Long Island on July 6 with practically no fuel or hydrogen left. (The above photo shows R34 landing at Mineola.)
Starting on July 10, Scott and his crew piloted R34 back across the Atlantic. The airship landed three days later at an RNAS station near the village of Pulham St Mary in England. Scott was given the designation of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for that historic two-way flight, which also marked the first transatlantic air crossing from east to west.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the two-way transatlantic crossing of the airship R34 in 1919, please check out https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/george-herbert-scott-cbe-afc/
Transportation History 