On September 28, 1924, the U.S. Army Air Service completed the first successful circumnavigation of the globe by air — a 175-day journey across 27,553 miles. June was the heart of the mission, as the aircraft crossed Asia and approached the halfway point of their extraordinary journey.
Four Douglas World Cruisers departed Seattle, Washington on April 6, 1924: the Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston. Each was a purpose-built biplane with interchangeable wheel and floatplane landing gear, allowing it to operate from both land and water as the mission demanded.
The Seattle crashed in Alaska during the early stages of the flight. The Boston was forced down in the North Atlantic near Iceland. But the Chicago and the New Orleans pressed on — through Alaska, Japan, China, India, Persia, Turkey, Europe, Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland, and finally home across the continental United States.
Pilots Lt. Lowell Smith and Lt. Erik Nelson, along with their mechanics, flew through monsoons, mechanical failures, extreme heat and cold, and the constant uncertainty of flying primitive aircraft over terrain where rescue was impossible. They arrived back in Seattle to a hero's welcome.
The feat demonstrated American aviation capability to the world and proved that the airplane was a truly global vehicle. It inspired a generation of aviators and laid the groundwork for the commercial and military aviation expansion of the late 1920s and 1930s.
The first around-the-world flight took 175 days and rewrote what was possible. At Cleared4Tees, we celebrate pilots who never quit.
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→ American Airpower T-shirt → 12 Seconds of History T-shirt → Inspirational Aviation Collection
Blue skies and tailwinds — The Cleared4Tees Crew ✈️
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