Wingnet

Round-the-World Flights 1935 thru 1939

Revision: 10/21/2009

1936 ....."Race to be Fastest Passenger to Travel Round-the-World"
From: 09/30/36 To: 10/19/36 (Lakehurst to Lakehurst, NJ)
Miles Traveled: 25,794 miles
Duration Time: 18D 11H 45M
Plane Types: Hindenburg, Douglas DC-2's, Boeing 247 & Martin M-130.
Plane Names: Many
Passenger Names: Herbert Ekins (1st), Dorothy Kilgallen (2nd) & Leo Kieran (3rd)
Comments: Ekins became the fastest person to travel Round-the-World.
1936 ....."Pan Am's Juan & Betty Trippe Travel Round-the-World"
From: 10/14/36 To: 11/20/36 (New York City to New York City, NY)
Miles Traveled: 36,000 miles
Duration Time: 38 days
Plane Types: M-130 et al
Plane Names:
Passenger Names: Juan & Betty Trippe
Comments: First husband & wife to fly RTW by commercial aviation.
1937 ....."Earliest Commercial Airline Round-the-World Flight Cover"
From: 04/19/37 To: 05/20/37 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Pan American/KLM earliest commercial airline Round-the-World Flights.
1937 ....."Amelia Earhart Round-the-World Flight Attempt"
From: 05/21/37 To: 07/02/37 (Oakland to Oakland, CA but crashed near Howland Island)
Miles Flown: 20,839 miles
Duration Time: 42 days
Plane Type: Twin-engine Lockheed 10E Electra
Plane Names: NR16020 (c/n 1055)
Pilot Names: Amelia Earhart with Frederick J. Noonan, navigator
Comments: On their Round-the-World attempt they disappeared without trace.
1937 ....."Air France Flies Round-the-World" (TO #1288)
From: 10/16/37 To: 11/22/37 (Paris to Paris, France)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Special RTW dispatch in connection w/the Expo 1937 Paris Tourism.
1938 ....."Marjorie Shuler, 1st Woman to fly RTW on Heavier-than-Air Planes"
From: 05/18/38 To: 06/16/39 (Marignane to Marignane, France)
Miles Traveled: >35,000 miles
Duration Time: 2 legs, 1938 & 1939
Plane Types: Imperial, Pan Am and United Airlines.
Plane Names: Cordelia, Centaurus, Capella, Calypso, China Clipper, et al
Passenger Names: Marjorie Shuler
Comments: Shuler becomes 1st woman to fly as a passenger RTW on commercial heavier-than-air planes.
1938 ....."Howard Hughes Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1307)
From: 07/10/38 To: 07/14/38 (New York to New York)
Miles Flown: 14,672 miles
Flying Time: 3D 19H 14M 10S
Plane Type: Lockheed 14 Lodestar
Plane Name: NY World's Fair 1939 (NX18973)
Pilot Names: Howard Hughes & Harry P. McLean Conner, co-pilot
....................Richard Stoddard, radio, Thomas Thurlow, navigator & Ed Lund, engineer.
Comments: Record Flight Round-the-World.
1939 ....."First Air Express Round-the-World Shipment"
From: 02/22/39 To: 03/22/39 (Battle Creek to Battle Creek, MI)
Miles Flown: 31,188 miles
Flying Time: 25 and 29 days
Plane Type: Various Airlines
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Two suitcases raced RTW via Air Express. Sponsored by Kellogg Corn Flakes Company.
1939 ....."Hutchinson Flying Family Attempts a Round-the-World Tour"
From: 04/24/39 To: 08/04/39 (Washington DC to Washington DC)
Miles Flown: 50.000+ miles
Duration Time: 102 days
Plane Type: Twin engine Lockheed Electra (NC14947)
Plane Name: Amicitia (Friendship)
Pilot Name: Capt. Lee H. Dice
Comments: Wealthy Hutchinson attemps to visit 68 nations w/106 stops on 5 continents.
1939 ....."First Air Mail Cover Forwarded for RTW Journey"
From: 04/25/39 To: 06/xx/39 (Chicago to Chicago, IL)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Charles Broad Jr forwards cover for Pan Am's Yankee Clipper transatlantic flight.
1939 ....."First Eastward RTW Mail Flight via Southern Transatlantic Air Service" (TO #1322)
From: 05/20/39 To: 06/13/39 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Names: xx
Pilot Names: xx
Comments: 1st Southern Route Eastward RTW, TransAtlantic, TransContinental, TransPacific dispatch.
1939 ....."Archbold Expedition Makes it Round-the-World"
From: 06/02/38 To: 07/06/39 (San Diego CA to San Diego CA)
Miles Traveled:
Duration Time: 13 months
Plane Type: Consolidated PBY Catalina Flying Boat, Model 28-3 (NC-777)
Plane Name: Guba-II
Pilot Name: Richard Archbold and Russell R Rogers, (co-pilot)
Comments: New Guinea Expedition turned into a RTW flight.
1939 ....."Fidelity Stamp Company Sends Air Mail Westward Round-the-World"
From: 06/20/39 To: 07/11/39 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Pan Am's regularly scheduled transatlantic flights facilitated RTW air mail.
1939 ....."First Eastward RTW Mail Flight via Northern Transatlantic Air Service" (TO #1324)
From: 06/24/39 To: 07/28/39 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Names: xx
Comments: 1st Northern Route Eastward RTW, TransAtlantic, TransContinental, TransPacific dispatch.
1939 ....."Air Mail Cover sent Round-the-World via Canton, China"
From: 06/27/39 To: 08/06/39 (Newfoundland to Newfoundland)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Names: xx
Pilot Names: xx
Comments: Cover sent by Air Mail Round-the-World.
1939 ....."Clara Adams Sets Passenger Record Round-the-World"
From: 06/28/39 To: 07/15/39 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: 25,609 miles
Flying Time: 16D 19H 8M 10S
Plane Types: Various
Plane Names: Various
Passenger Name: Clara Adams
Comments: Clara Adams set the Round-the-World record as a passenger.
1939 ....."First Westward Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1327)
From: 07/13/39 To: 07/xx/39 (London to London, England)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: 1st Westward RTW, TransAtlantic, TransContinental, TransPacific dispatch.
1939 ....."Imperial Airways Starts TransAtlantic Service w/RTW Westward Routing" (TO #1328)
From: 08/05/39 To: 08/26/39 (London to London, England)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: J.C.Kelly Rogers
Comments: Inauguration of regular TransAtlantic Service & thence Round-the-World.
1939 ....."Imperial Airways Starts TransAtlantic Service w/RTW Eastward Routing" (TO #1328)
From: 08/07/39 To: 09/12/39 (Montreal, Canada to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Inauguration of regular TransAtlantic Service & thence Round-the-World.
1939 ....."Captain John M Rooks Goes Round-the-World as a Passenger"
From: 08/29/39 To: 09/21/39 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Travel RTW becomes a consideration of "time" and not "distance."
1939 ....."Japanese Round-the-World Pre-War Goodwill Flight" (TO #1330)
From: 08/26/39 To: 10/20/39 (Tokyo to Tokyo, Japan)
Miles Flown: 32,850 miles
Flying Time: 194 hours in 56 elapsed days
Plane Type: Twin Engine Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21 converted for Transport
Plane Name: Nippon (J-BACI)
Pilot Name: Sumitoshi Nakao & Shigeo Yoshida, co-pilot
Comments: Little attention paid to this RTW flight as world was preoccupied w/European conflict.

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