The Atlantic Dreaming of Italo Balbo

Every day, about 600 transatlantic flights carry thousands of passengers safely between continents, high above one of the most dangerous stretches of ocean. It’s doubtful if more than a few give a thought to those who pioneered the routes, in primitive flying machines powered by unreliable engines. For many, it proved a leap too far.

This month marks the eightieth anniversary of one of those remarkable flights, now almost forgotten, that proliferated in the 1930s as aviation came of age. Daring flyers chased fame, records, sometimes prizes, their brave exploits uplifting the mood of a depressed world and promising a new era of transportation. But this event was different. Shortly after 7 p.m. on Wednesday July 19, 1933, a formation of twenty-four flying boats appeared over New York, circled the skyscrapers, saluted the Statue of Liberty and then touched down smoothly on the waters of the Floyd Bennett Naval Air Station off Coney Island. It had been a triumph of planning, training…