photo #8650478

In 1956, Thomas Fitzpatrick, a 29-year-old insurance agent from New Jersey, made a drunken bet and stole a small single-engine plane. Remarkably, he landed it on a Manhattan street, specifically on 79th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, right in front of a bar where he had been drinking. His daring, low-altitude maneuver and perfect landing amazed onlookers and became instant legend. Two years later, in 1958, Fitzpatrick did it again—this time because someone doubted the first story. He flew the same type of small plane from New Jersey and again landed it safely on a Manhattan street, proving that his first stunt wasn’t a fluke.