On this day in 1923, U.S. Army Air Service pilots Lt. John Macready and Lt. Oakley Kelly completed the first nonstop transcontinental flight across the United States, flying from New York to San Diego in a Fokker T-2 monoplane — a grueling 26 hours and 50 minutes in the air.
It was a feat of endurance, engineering, and sheer aviation grit. The two pilots took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island and landed at Rockwell Field in San Diego, covering approximately 2,700 miles without stopping. Their aircraft, a single-engine Fokker T-2, was loaded with enough fuel to make the mission possible — barely.
This record-breaking flight marked a defining moment in early American aviation history, proving that long-distance air travel was not just a dream but an achievable reality. It paved the way for the commercial airline industry we know today and inspired a generation of aviators.
Macready and Kelly flew 2,700 miles non-stop to prove it could be done. At Cleared4Tees, we celebrate that grit in every design.
Explore the collection:
→ 12 Seconds of History T-shirt → Barnstorming T-shirt → Inspirational Aviation Collection
Blue skies and tailwinds — The Cleared4Tees Crew ✈️
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