--- title: "The hilarious story behind the first-ever in-flight radio transmission" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/first-airship-radio/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Tactical" tags: - "Aircraft" - "Military History" - "Technology" --- # The hilarious story behind the first-ever in-flight radio transmission ![first in flight radio airship america loc]() *This is probably not the aircraft you were expecting. (Library of Congress)* The first time the radio was used in an aircraft, the message wasn't one about science, technology, or even the wild blue yonder. It was much more mundane—but still unexpectedly hilarious. When the crew of the airship America decided to attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, they opted to take a radio system with them, along with a cat named Kiddo that had been living in the airship's hangar. The first message transmitted by the airmen was about Kiddo. "Roy, come and get this goddam cat!" ### Related: [The first 'walkie-talkie' saved thousands of Allied lives]() It was 1910, and America's airman, Walter Wellman, loaded five companions onto the airship America in an effort to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air. Though the mission would end in a kind of disaster (and not cross the Atlantic), it would still be historic, setting a number of firsts and records for traveling by air. The ship traveled more than a thousand miles and stayed in the air for a whopping 72 hours. Wellman also decided he would take a radio system and an engineer with him so he could communicate with ships below. He also brought a stray cat, one they named Kiddo. But Kiddo wasn't as daring as his human companions – at least not at first. And he made his wariness known to the rest of the crew. ![first in-flight radio]() *"We can never have luck without a cat on board," said navigator Murray Simon, a superstitious former sailor.* Kiddo was especially vocal with the radio engineer, Melvin Vaniman. Vaniman didn't seem to like cats that much in the first place, but when Kiddo began meowing loudly, crying, and running around "like a squirrel in a cage," Vaniman decided enough was enough, and he made the first-ever ship-to-shore radio transmission to a secretary back on terra firma: "Roy, come and get this goddam cat!" The crew wasn't heartless. They tried to lower Kiddo into a trailing motorboat down below using a canvas bag, but the seas were much too rough to do it successfully, so they had to take him back up. Kiddo eventually got his air-legs and began to grow more accustomed to the floating dirigible. He even became a valuable member of the crew, warning them when the barometer dropped and a storm was on the horizon. ![first in-flight radio]() *Wellman's airship from the deck of the SS Trent.* It was the weather that forced the crew of the *America* to abandon ship and abandon that particular plan to cross the Atlantic. Just a few hours into the journey, two of their engines failed. They proceeded with the remaining engine to drive them, but they soon realized it was throwing a lot of sparks into the area of a very hydrogen-filled balloon. Averting the likely fire, they ditched the airship and headed for the attached lifeboat. Kiddo came along too. The America also sent the first radio distress signal from an aircraft when the airmen decided to abandon the ship. When the lifeboat detached from the airship, the balloon lifted off like never before—and was never seen again. A British steamer, the SS Trent, rescued the crew. Kiddo and the crew returned to New York, where the cat received a hero's welcome and spent the rest of his days as an attraction at Gimbel's department store. ### Don't Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty #### • [6 urban legends about Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]() #### • [4 Revolutionary War ghosts that refuse to die]() #### • [The insane way Vlad the Impaler turned back an enemy army]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()