Wingnet

Round-the-World Flights 1945 thru 1949

Revision: 07/17/2007

1945 ....."Globester Air Command Round-the-World Flight" (TO-1365)
From: 09/28/45 To: 10/05/45 (Washington DC to Washington DC)
Miles Flown: 23,279 miles
Flying Time: 116H 23M in 149H 44M
Plane Type: Douglas Skymaster C-54E (DC-4)
Plane Name: Globester
Pilots Name: Capt John J.Ohlinger (start) & Major James A.Worrell Jr (finish) + 10 others
Comments: Inauguration of regular weekly Round-the-World Flight Service.
1945 ....."Army Air Force End-of-War Round-the-World Flight"
From: 11/25/45 To: 11/29/45 (Savannah GA to Washington DC)
Miles Flown: 24,859 miles
Duration Time: 96H 50M
Plane Type: Douglas A-26 Invader
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: Col Joseph R. Holzapple w/Lt Col Charles R. Meyers, Co-pilot
...................Lt Otto H.Schumacher, Navigator & Cpl Howard J.Walden, radio operator
Comments: Proved that US light bombers could be dispatched to any point in the world.
1947 ....."Odom & Reynolds Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1387)
From: 04/12/47 To: 04/16/47 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: 20,000 miles
Flying Time: 78H 55M 56S
Plane Type: Douglas A-26 Invader
Plane Name: Reynold's Bombshell
Pilot Names: William P. "Bill" Odom & T. Carroll "Tex" Sallee as co-pilot
Comments: Set new Round-the-World record.
1947 ....."Pan American Round-the-World Press Ceremonial Flight" (TO #1393)
From: 06/17/47 To: 06/30/47 (New York to New York)
Miles Flown: 22,297 miles
Duration Time: 101H 32M in 13 days
Plane Type: Model 749 Super Constallation
Plane Name: America
Pilot Name: Hugh H. Gordon III (NY/Calcutta) & Gordon F. Maxwell (Calcutta/San Francisco)
Comments: Round-the-World Trial Flight with members of the press as passengers.
1947 ....."Sabor Passenger Trip Round-the-World"
From: 06/26/47 To: 07/04/47 (San Francisco, CA to New York City, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: Super Constallations
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Names: Several
Comments: Round-the-World as a Pan American Passenger.
1947 ....."Pan American FAM-14 Round-the-World First Flight"
From: 06/26/47 To: 07/04/47 (San Francisco to New York via Calcutta)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: Model 749 Super Constallation
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Names: G.A. Wilson (San Francisco to Honolulu)
..............G.C. Gibbs (Honolulu to Wake)
..............H.J. Beyer (Wake to Guam)
..............W.M. Pryce (Guam to Calcutta)
Comments: First regular Round-the-World Air Service in westerly direction.
1947 ....."Pan American FAM-18 Round-the-World First Flight"
From: 06/27/47 To: 07/04/47 (New York to San Francisco cia Calcutta)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: Super Constallation
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Names: Olaf S. Abrahamsen
Comments: First regular Round-the-World Air Service in easterly direction..
1947 ....."Northwest Orient Flies to Shanghai Connecting for Round-the-World Flight Service"
From: 07/24/47 To: 08/10/47 (Salt Lake, UT to Abeline, TX via Shanghai, China)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Northwest Orient with TWA now girdles the globe with RTW service via Shanghai.
1947 ....."Odom Solo Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1396)
From: 08/07/47 To: 08/11/47 (Chicago to Chicago, IL)
Miles Flown: 19,645 miles
Flying Time: 73H 5M 11S
Plane Type: Douglas A-26 (Invader)
Plane Name: Reynold's Bombshell
Pilot Name: William P. "Bill" Odom
Comments: Odom broke all existing records for a solo Round-the-World flight.
1947 ....."Truman & Evans Round-the-World Flight in Two Light Planes" (TO #1397)
From: 08/09/47 To: 12/10/47 (Teterboro to Teterboro, NJ)
Miles Flown: 25,162 miles
Flying Time: 275H 25M in 122D 23H 4M
Plane Type: Two Piper PA-12 Super Cruisers
Plane Names: City of Angels (Truman) & City of Washington (Evans)
Pilot Names: George Truman & Clifford Evans
Comments: First Round-the-World Flight by single engine light planes.
1947 ....."Vogue Magazine sponsors a RTW trip"
From: 08/17/47 To: 09/17/47 (New York City to New York City, NY)
Miles Flown: 23,190
Duration Time: 1 month
Plane Type:
Plane Name:
Pilot Name:
Comments: Vogue sends Allene Talmey & Irving Penn RTW using US air carriers.
1947 ....."Pan American Adds Tokyo to its Round-the-World Service"
From: 09/25/47 To: 09/28/47 (San Francisco CA to New York via Tokyo & Calcutta)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: Super Constallation
Plane Name:
Pilot Name: Sam Peters
Comments: Pan Am begins alternate Round-the-World service via Tokyo and Calcutta.
1948 ....."Atlas Sky Merchant Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1405)
From: 01/05/48 To: 04/15/48 (Teterboro to Teterboro, NJ)
Miles Flown: 44,500 miles
Flying Time: 100 Days
Plane Type: C-54(DC-4)
Plane Name: Atlas Sky Merchant
Pilot Name: Captain Ivan Smirnoff
Comments: Philatelic proceeds from this RTW flight given to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund.
1948 ....."Pan American FAM-14 Adds Guam to its Round-the-World Service"
From: 07/03/48 To: 10/02/48 (Calcutta to Calcutta, India)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Pan Am begins alternate Round-the-World service via Guam.
1948 ....."Three B-29's Round-the-World Flight" (TO #1408)
From: 07/22/48 To: 08/06/48 (Tucson to Tucson, AZ)
Miles Flown: ~20,000 miles
Flying Time: 103H 50M
Plane Type: B-29 Superfortress Heavy Bombers
Plane Names: Gas Gobbler & Lucky Lady
Pilot Names: Lt Col R.W. Kline & 1st Lt Arthur M. Neal
Comments: One plane crashed in Arabian Sea but remaining two planes made the RTW Flight.
1948/49 ....."Richarda Morrow-Tait becomes 1st Woman to Fly Completely RTW"
From: 08/18/48 To: 08/19/49 (Croydon to Croydon, England)
Miles Flown: ~20,000 miles
Flying Time: 1Y 1D
Plane Type: Percival Proctor IV & BT-13 Vultee Valaint
Plane Name: Thursday's Child & Next Thursday's Child
Pilot Names: Richarda Morrow-Tait w/navigators, Michael Townsend/Jack Ellis
Comments: Dikki won the honor of becoming the 1st woman to pilot a plane RTW.
1949 ....."Pan American Expands its Round-the-World Service from Los Angeles & Boston"
From: 02/02/49 To: 10/19/49 (Los Angeles CA to Boston via Calcutta)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: Super Constallation
Plane Name:
Pilot Name: Jack H. Tilton (LA) & J. Knowing (Boston)
Comments: Pan Am expands Round-the-World service from Los Angeles and Boston.
1949 ....."Lucky Lady II Round-the-World Non-stop Flight"
From: 02/26/49 To: 03/02/49 (Fort Worth to Fort Worth, TX)
Miles Flown: 23,452 miles
Flying Time: 3D 22H 1M
Plane Type: B-50A Superfortress Bomber
Plane Name: Lucky Lady II (s/n 46-010)
Pilot Name: Capt James Gallagher with crew of 14
Comments: First Round-the-World non-stop flight with four in-flight re-fuelings.
1949 ....."Pan American Expands its Round-the-World Service from Pacific Northwest"
From: 05/04/49 To: 05/09/49 (Seattle WA & Portland OR via Calcutta)
Miles Flown: xx
Duration Time: xx
Plane Type: Super Constallation
Plane Name:
Pilot Name: F.D. Campbell
Comments: Pan Am expands Round-the-World service from Seattle and Portland.
1949 ....."Reynold's Fastest Passenger to Travel Round-the-World"
From: 10/31/49 To: 11/07/49 (Los Angeles to Los Angeles, CA)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: xx
Plane Type: xx
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: xx
Comments: Fastest trip Round-the-World by a plane passenger.
1949 ....."Lanphier Fastest Passengen to Travel Round-the-World"
From: 12/02/49 To: 12/07/49 (New York to New York, NY)
Miles Flown: xx
Flying Time: 4D 23H 47M
Plane Type: Constellation, DC-4, Stratocruiser & DC-6
Plane Name: xx
Pilot Name: Thomas G. Lanphier Jr. (passenger)
Comments: In WW-II Lanphier shot down Yamamoto.

GO to Past Page.
GO to Next Page.
RETURN to Home Page.