Round-the-World Flights

Truman & Evans Round-the World Flight in Two Light Planes

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Truman & Evans	Pilots & Plane	Planes in Flight	Arrival Cover	Pilot's Autographs

	George W. Truman and Clifford Vassar Evans, both Air Force Reserve officers were instructing GI 
students in flight training at College Park Airport near Washington DC.  While watching a Piper Cub 
taxi by, someone lamented, "With enough gas that plane could go round-the-world."  A spark of an 
idea ignited the combustible mixture in both Truman and Evans' minds.
    Since George and Cliff were of modest means, they solicited two used Piper PA-12 Super Cruisers 
and modified them removing the rear seat adding two 50 gallon fuel tanks, changed the wood props for 
metal ones and added some extra instrumentation and radio equipment. They now had planes with a range 
of 27 hours and 2,600 miles. George had grown up in Los Angeles CA so he chose to name his plane, 
"City of the Angels." Cliff was a forth generation Washingtonian so he chose the name, "City of 
Washington."
    On August 9,1947, Evans in the "City of Washington" and Truman in the companion ship, "City of
the Angels," left Teterboro, New Jersey.  With few exceptions, they flew within sight of each other 
as they proceeded in an easterly direction round-the-world.  Their flight took just over 4 months and 
covered 25,162 miles. Weather was their biggest problem, causing them to sit out many days on the 
ground.  They returned to Teterboro on December 10, 1947. Truman landed first to make "The City of 
Angels" the first light plane to circle round-the-world.  The only mishap on their journey  was a 
damaged tail wheel on one of the landings. Enroute, flags of each visited nation were hand-painted on 
the left fuselages and 53 of their 55 stops were painted onto the right side of the fuselages. 
    On December 16, 1947 they received a heroes' welcome in Washington DC and were greeted by 
President Harry Truman. 

Itinerary:
Departed Teterboro, NJ                 08/09/47
           Presque Isle, Maine
           Newfoundland 
           Labrador
           Greenland
           Iceland
           Ireland
           London, England
           Europe (several stops)
           Rome, Italy
           Cairo, Egypt 
           Baghdad, Iraq 
           Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
           Iran
           Jodhpur, India
           Akyab, Burma
           Rangoon, Burma
           Bangkok,Thailand
           Hanoi, North Viet Nam
           Hong Kong            
           Amoy, China 
           Shanghai, China
           Japan (escorted across the north Pacific by a USAF B-17) 
           Aleutians 
           Anchorage, Alaska
           Lethbridge. Alberta
           Los Angeles, CA
           8 stops across the US
Arrrived Teterboro, NJ                 12/10/47

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