July 26th, 2019 : First Round the World Flight

[xoxoxoBruce]

After The War to End All Wars, WW I, the Americans were ready for Mom and apple pie after the flu and ocean travel.
The Europeans were excited about airplanes and the possibilities of air travel. In 1919, two Brits first flew the Atlantic,
and two Aussies flew from England to Australia.
In 1923, two U.S. Army pilots took a T-2 and flew nonstop across North America in that Fokker.
That same year several Europeans tried to fly around the world, all flying east using the prevailing winds.
But they all failed, so the US Army said hold my beer and watch this.



In less than a year they planned a safer route flying west to do the North Pacific in spring, North Atlantic in late summer,
and put all the logistics in place. They bought 5 Douglas World Cruisers (DWCs), modified Navy torpedo bombers capable
of flying on wheels or pontoons. One was a prototype and four, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston, for the flight.



They took off on April 4th, 1924. First the boss pilot ran the Seattle into an Alaskan mountain, he and his bro
were rescued but out of the trip. The other three changed engines and pontoons in Japan, and had to do a lot
of the aircraft version of get-out-and-get-under between Japan and Kolkata (Calcutta). Then over what is now
Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey, they hit Paris on Bastille Day. They knew where to get free wine.
On to London and Hull before over the Atlantic to Icy Tickle, Labrador... I shit you not.



Well two did, the Boston had to land on the water between the Faeroe Islands and Iceland. A US Navy Destroyer
rescued the men and took the Boston in tow but it sank soon after... something about the Captain wanted to water ski.
The prototype was renamed the Boston II and joined the two remaining planes in their trip back to Seattle completing
the first round the world flight on September 25th, about a week short of 6 months.

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