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J. Erroll Boyd, usually referred to by his middle name, was often called the Lindbergh of Canada. He would later become a United States citizen. Unlike a lot of early pilots, Boyd lived until retirement age, settling down in Pompano Beach, Florida, where he died in 1960. He was 69 years old. |
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Syracuse Journal, June 12
NEW YORK (INS) — With Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as his goal, Capt. J. Erroll Boyd today was piloting the veteran monoplane Columbia down the South Atlantic Coast on a non-stop goodwill flight to the Caribbean island.
Accompanied by Robert G. Lyon, co-pilot, and H. P. Davis, writer and former newspaperman in Haiti, Boyd hopped off from Floyd Bennett Field last evening.
Boyd expected to follow the coastline down to Florida, fly over Havana without stopping, then head for Port-au-Prince.
No word of his progress had been received here today, but it was felt Boyd was well along on his course. He planned to reach Port-au-Prince in about 24 hours.
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New York Sun, June 13
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Capt. J. Erroll Boyd and two companions landed safely today in Port-au-Prince from St. Marc, Haiti, where they were forced down last night after flying 2,471 miles nonstop from New York.
Capt. Boyd, Robert G. Lyons, the co-pilot, and H. P. Davis, observer, were dirty and tired, for they had had no sleep to speak of since Saturday night (June 10).
“It was a hard trip with bad weather, rain and fog most of Sunday night,” said Capt. Boyd. “We encountered head winds, sometimes fifty miles an hour, on Monday near Cuba, and there were tropical rainstorms.
“As we were gaining altitude to clear the mountains near St. Marc the engine quit and we had to make a forced landing in the mud flats. Natives helped move the plane to higher ground for a takeoff, but because of the darkness and the unfamiliar ground we waited for morning.”
Davis said Boyd made a wonderful landing at St. Marc, as an error of twenty-five feet would have resulted in the wrecking of the plane in a deep ditch. Had the engine quit ten minutes earlier they would have come down in the ocean. |
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Syracuse American, July 9
NEW YORK (INS) — J. Erroll Boyd and Robert G. Lyons, who flew the old monoplane Columbia to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, returned yesterday to Floyd Bennett Field with a letter from the mayor of Port-au-Prince to New York City Mayor O’Brien.
The fliers said they would deliver the letter to the mayor tomorrow. |
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