by Nikola Budanovic The Vintage News
In the 1950s, a drunk New Yorker stole an aircraft twice and landed it in the middle of Manhattan, all on a bet
Drunken bets have, throughout history, caused the most inconceivable events. Some become intertwined with urban myths, as the results were simply too crazy to believe. One such crazy bet that took place in New York City in the 1950s was well-documented by the authorities.
The story of Thomas Fitzpatrick, the pilot who stole an airplane twice just to win a bet, remains one of New York’s favorite feats. Fitzpatrick, nicknamed Thomy Fitz, even earned a cocktail being named after him―the Late Night Flight.
This patron saint of drunken adventures gained popularity on September 30, 1956, when he decided to break into the Teterboro School of Aeronautics and steal a light aircraft. As mentioned, the motive for the theft was a bet placed in a New York City bar. Fitzpatrick claimed that he could make the trip from New Jersey to New York in less than 15 minutes.
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