Alcock and Brown erased from History by AI

[gruad]

Try this at Home : "Alexa: who was first to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft?".

The populist answer of Charles Lindberg is given.

This is ironic that, although Lindberg was quite arrogant on some matters, publicly he was always at pains to point out that his was the first solo crossing and Alcock and Brown were first to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft.

This is the danger of misconception propagated by AI of which Alexa is a subset... I told Alex the answer was wrong but I doubt she will correct herself...

Let me try Chat GPT...

 

[gruad]

Ahhh: good old Chat GPT. Didn't know all that.

Any WW2 Aircraft "Experten" see any problems with the below?


The first successful transatlantic flight was made by British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown in June 1919. They flew a modified Vickers Vimy, a twin-engine bomber, nonstop from St. John's, Newfoundland in Canada, to Clifden, Connemara, Ireland. Their pioneering flight took just under 16 hours and won them the £10,000 Daily Mail prize for the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic. This flight took place more than eight years after the first powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 and was one of the defining moments in the early history of aviation.

 

[Peter Gunn]

1903 + 8 = 1911

Hmm...

To be fair, I guess it did say "more than eight years", like maybe double that?

 

[SaparotRob]

So, not much wronger than most YouTube videos?

 

[gruad]

1903 + 8 = 1911

Hmm...

To be fair, I guess it did say "more than eight years", like maybe double that?

Nice spot - I will have a word with Chat GPT and see if I can correct it.

Logically correct but misleading...

 

[gruad]

Wow! So I asked the same question again and got a different answer. So I lost the context with the misleading statement which I meant to query ChatGPT.

But we can now say that the achievement of NC-4 has been erased from History!


Here is the second answer...

The distinction of the first successful non-stop transatlantic flight goes to British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown. They flew a modified Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Ireland, on June 14-15, 1919. However, the very first transatlantic flight, which included stops, was made by the NC-4, a U.S. Navy flying boat, which flew from the U.S. to the Azores and then to mainland Portugal and finally the UK, completing its journey on May 31, 1919.

We can verify this on wiki

Curtiss NC-4 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

And even a confirmation that the USN great achievement was forgotten by being too close to Alcock and Brown...

This accomplishment was somewhat eclipsed in the minds of the public by the first nonstop transatlantic flight, made by the Royal Air Force pilots John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown two weeks later.

 

[SaparotRob]

Nice spot - I will have a word with Chat GPT and see if I can correct it.

Logically correct but misleading...

Fight the good fight, Sir!

 

[Skyediamonds]

Looks as though all bases have been covered regarding "Who's on First."

My only question therefore, will Alexa &/or ChatGPT pass on this correct information?

 

[fannum]

Verifying on Wiki is like taking a consensus from the Happy Hour bar gang.

Even when they cite references, they're usually second or third sources.

 

[SaparotRob]

Even when they cite references, they're usually second or third sources.

That wind up circling back to each other.

 

[djandersonza]

Try this at Home : "Alexa: who was first to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft?".

The populist answer of Charles Lindberg is given.

This is ironic that, although Lindberg was quite arrogant on some matters, publicly he was always at pains to point out that his was the first solo crossing and Alcock and Brown were first to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft.

This is the danger of misconception propagated by AI of which Alexa is a subset... I told Alex the answer was wrong but I doubt she will correct herself...

Let me try Chat GPT...

Dear Sir,
Hahahaha, apparently most of the web is wrong! I was always under the impression that the first person(s) to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft were Albert Cushing Read, the commander and navigator; Walter Hinton and Elmer Fowler Stone (Coast Guard Aviator #1), the two pilots; James L. Breese and Eugene S. Rhoads, the two flight engineers; and Herbert C. Rodd, the radio operator in the Curtiss NC-4. You did not sytipulate non-stop.

 

[fannum]

Again, anyone who claims an absolute (first, fastest, best, etc.) is only fodder for a bar fight.
I'm sure it's been covered elsewhere, but there are over 80 humans who traversed the Atlantic by air before Charley. (most in dirigibles or island hoping seaplanes.)
He deserves all the acclaim as he linked major points in the New and Old world, capturing the imagination of all mankind, and unleashing a wave of interest and development in aviation. His achievement can never be diminished.

 

[Sabrejet]

Any WW2 Aircraft "Experten" see any problems with the below?

I have trouble with 'experten' unless you really did fly Bf.109s.

 

[gruad]

Dear Sir,
Hahahaha, apparently most of the web is wrong! I was always under the impression that the first person(s) to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft were Albert Cushing Read, the commander and navigator; Walter Hinton and Elmer Fowler Stone (Coast Guard Aviator #1), the two pilots; James L. Breese and Eugene S. Rhoads, the two flight engineers; and Herbert C. Rodd, the radio operator in the Curtiss NC-4. You did not sytipulate non-stop.

Sir you are indeed correct. The NC-4 team deserves more recognition.

It must have been much more fun than Alcock and Brown chipping the ice off the wing, stopping at some nice places.

 

[gruad]

I have trouble with 'experten' unless you really did fly Bf.109s.

Hey I am whatever the German is for ground crew...

 

[GrauGeist]

I have trouble with 'experten' unless you really did fly Bf.109s.

"Experten" auf Deutch literally means "expert".

And in WWII, Luftwaffe "Experten" flew Fw190s, Bf110s, Me262s and such - not just Bf109s.