Around the world in 175 days.

[Macroburst]

Love your flights!

Really enjoying the trip.

Thanks!

[blanston12]

July 17, 1924: The next morning they were back at the airport and in the air. They flew over the Tower of London, Parliament, Buckingham palace and other famous land marks before heading north toward Brough near Hull, 165 miles away. A number of small planes came up and few briefly in formation with them before waving and flying away. Finally they landed at the aerodrome of Blackburn Aeroplane company, where they would replace all the engines, convert them back into seaplanes and prepare there aircraft to cross the Atlantic, what was most certainly going to be the most dangerous part of the entire trip.

 

September 20, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Gloster Meteor. The Meteor was the first British fighter jet and only Allied jet to see combat in World War 2. While not as fast or as aerodynamically advanced as the German Me-262, it had much more reliable engines and ended up having a fairly long career, over 3900 were built between 1943 and 1955. The model I am using today is and F8 and was made by JustFlight.

 

The weather for my next flight was good, 6 knot winds, clear below 20,000 feet, and a temperature of 16.0C/61F. Took off from London city and headed north at about 5000 feet. At times I went up to 7000 feet and descended down to 2500 feet to avoid the clouds, I finally landed at Carlisle Airport, the 231 mile flight took 35 minutes. Only after I was getting the information together to write this post did I realize I had mixed up the GPS code, going to EGNC rather than EGNB and was about 75 miles off course. Oops!

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Heading north.

 

Interesting clouds.

 

Trying to keep the ground in view.

 

Heading north.

 

Selfie!

 

Trying to find the airport.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading,

ATB.

[blanston12]

Love your flights!

Really enjoying the trip.

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the encouragement, it really is appreciated.

[blanston12]

July 30, 1924: At Brough they would overhaul the aircraft to prepare then for the north atlantic. The cowlings, radiators and engines were all removed and replaced, all the metal parts of the planes were covered with rust-resistant oxide, all the fabric that was damaged by the hot and humid climates they had passed through was repaired and the wheels were replaced by floats. The flyers were invited to a formal banquet in London they night after they arrived but as Arnold wrote “we were about as well equipped with clothes as the head-hunters of Borneo”. Eventually Arnold was sent with a shopping list to London to get what they needed. The banquet was held at the Savoy hotel with many with many Lords, Earls and Dukes in attendance. Many speeches were given, Smith said in his that the flight was being made for personal glory but to further aviation progress. They were invited up to meet the Prince of Wales in his suite who said he was going to sail to New York in a few days and bet each of them five dollars he would beat them there. They waited until the 29th when they received word from the U.S. Navy that there ships were in position and the weather was favorable, so they were up at 4am on the 30th to launch there planes into the humber river and fuel up the planes. There was a low fog that hung over the area and they could not get away until 10am as they headed north to the Orkney Islands. They flew over Drunkensberry point and then Scapa Flow and landed near the Village of Kirkwall where the Cruiser U.S.S. Richmond was waiting in the harbor for them.

 

September 24, 2017: For the next leg we will be using de Havilland Heron. The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage that could be used on regional and commuter routes. 150 were built, also exported to about 30 countries. They model I am using today is by Flight Replicas and is quite nice.

 

The weather was reasonable for the flight, we flew north at 3000 feet to stay under the clouds. Flying over the Scottish highlands, I flew past patches of fog, hoping a hill would not appear in front of me, they did appear through the clouds but fortunately stayed below me, heading out over the sea we arrived at Kirkwall, visibility dropped to about 5 miles but managed to find the airport and make a safe landing. Since I few from Carlisle instead of Brough the flight was a little shorter, the 242nm flight took 1.5 hours.

Here are the pics.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Climbing out of Carlisle.

 

Glamour shots.

 

Heading into Scotland.

 

Taking a break in the cabin.

 

Out over the sea.

 

Our destination.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading

ATB.

[blanston12]

August 2, 1924: After arriving on the 30th they had expected to be able to leave for Iceland the next day but heavy fog prevented them from leaving until the 2nd. Five miles out they ran into heavy fog. After 30 minutes of flying Lt. Nelson flying New Orleans, not being able to see the other planes got into the propeller wash of one of the other aircraft and went into a spin, coming out of it just above the water. Now being just under the fog they continued to fly until they were out of the fog, but there was no site of the other planes. After circling for a period waiting for them they continued toward Iceland. They continued to Horna Fjord Iceland where sailors from the Cruiser Raleigh had established a base for them. They radioed that they had arrived and learned that Chicago and Boston had turned around in the Fog and returned to Kirkwall.

 

September 25, 2017: For the next leg I am using the Douglas A-20C. I know by using this aircraft I am breaking my own rule of not going back in time for the aircraft I am using but Milton Shupe finally released a beta of his new model that I had been waiting for it for a long time and could not pass it up. They A-20 first flew in 1939 and almost 7500 were built before production ended in 1944. It saw service with the USAAF as well as the Soviet, British and French air forces and was used as both a Light Bomber and night fighter. At least I am using the Aeroflot photo mapping livery from 1953 so at least that is not going back in time.

 

Weather for the flight was foggy with 14 knot winds and 1000m visibility with a temperature was 12C/53F. I tried to stay low but the fog was too thick, after flying past a hill where I could see the windmill was higher than me I climbed to 7000 feet to get above it. Eventually the fog cleared and it was a pretty easy flight into Hornafjörður Airport. The 475nm flight took 1.7 hours. Note to tell the story properly I am breaking this into three parts so I can better tell the story of each aircraft better.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Its quite foggy.

 

Finally above the fog.

 

Observer selfie!

[blanston12]

August 3, 1924: The weather the next day was excellent at Kirkwall, anxious to join Nelson and Harding in Iceland, they were in the air by 9:30, with the still tail wind Lt Smith estimated they were going at least 100 mph. At around 11am Lt. Arnold looking back could not see Boston, they circled back looking for them and found them floating in the sea, smothered in oil leaving a oil trail in the water behind them. Wade was waving at them to not try to land as the water was too rough. Smith circled a few more times then headed for the Destroyer Billingsley 100 miles away. Arnold wrote two notes describing Wade and Ogdon’s situation and position and the tried to drop them on the deck of the destroyer, the first missed, the second tied to Arnold's only life preserver also missed the deck but a sailor dived overboard to get it. “Never have I seen a vessel jump to high speed so quickly”. Later they learned they traveled so fast they burned all the paint off there smoke stack. Having did what they could Smith turned toward Iceland. They flew through light rain and fog before sighting the Raleigh off Horna Fjord and they knew they were at there destination.

 

Finally past the fog.

 

Glamour Shots.

 

A little rain.

 

Please fasten your seatbelt.

 

Thanks for reading

ATB.

[blanston12]

August 3, 1924: Although Wade ditched seemingly without difficulty he knew the water was too rough for Smith to take off again so he frantically signaled him not to land. Boston’s oil pump had failed they had no replacement and the left pontoon had been damaged when they landed in the rough water so even if they could repair it they could not take off. So feeling very alone in ocean, they waited for help to arrive. Three long hours later they were spotted by a British fishing boat who took them in tow. Billingsley arrived and took over the tow, followed shortly by Richmond and the line was passed to the larger ship. After emptying everything they could from Boston to make it lighter they prepared to hoist the plane onto the ships deck. When she was 3 feet in the air the ship rolled suddenly and the boom came down on top of the plane with a thunderous crash, damaging the propeller, upper wing and center section of the hull. With the increasing storm they decided the safest course of action was to tow Boston to the Faeroes islands to attempt repairs there. In the night Boston’s front spreader bar had collapsed allowing the pontoons to squeeze together and with the storm Richmond was having difficulty maintaining a safe speed while towing the plane. Wade agreed they should abandon the plane, she was pulled alongside the cruiser where sailors climbed down and chopped holes in the pontoons and she was then set loose. At 5:30 am as the two flyers saluted, Boston capsized and sank.

 

Iceland in site.

 

The town of Hofn.

 

Our destination.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading, as always your comments are welcome and appreciated.

ATB.

[Macroburst]

interesting flight- loved the shot 'past' the fog.:)

[blanston12]

interesting flight- loved the shot 'past' the fog.:)

 

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[blanston12]

August 5, 1924: At mid-morning the two remaining planes departed for Reykjavik, a 290 mile trip with a stiff head wind, the harbor at Horna Fjord was very shallow and they had difficulty finding a long enough area to take off. They followed the coast were very few safe harbors could be seen, the engine on New Orleans began to run rough and oil pressure dropped from 60psi to 27, but decided to continue rather than risk landing along the rocky coast. They flew past the destroyer Billingsley at Portland Point and into Reykjavik harbor where 25,000 cheering people were there to greet them onshore. As the launch arrived to take them in, the cruiser Richmond arrived, with Wade and Ogdon onboard.

 

For the next leg I will be using the Ryan Navion. The Ryan Navion is a single-engine, retractable gear, four-seat aircraft originally built by North American Aviation in the 1940s. It was then acquired by Ryan Aeronautical Company and finally the Navion Aircraft Company. The Navion was envisioned as an aircraft that would perfectly match the expected postwar boom in civilian aviation, since it was designed along the general lines of, and by the same company which produced the North American P-51 Mustang. Over 2600 aircraft were built between 1948 and 1976, most of them are still in service. The model I am using was made by LDR Development and is excellent

 

Weather for the next leg was not the best, Light rain with 12 knot winds. 3.7 mile visibility, overcast at 1000 feet and a temperature of 12C/54F. With the low cloud level I stayed at 500 feet and followed the coast, making sure to keep an eye out for those big hills that would appear in front of me. As the clouds cleared up I was able to climb up to 2000 feet and fly over the peninsula that at the west end of Iceland and fly into Reykjavik. The 176 nm flight took 1.6 hours.

 

Here are the pics.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Heading out of Hofn.

 

Flying along the coast.

 

Dont fly into the hills.

 

Coastal Iceland.

 

Heading inland to Reykjavik.

 

Our destination.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading,

ATB.

[blanston12]

August 21, 1924: At Reykjavik they flyers made repairs to there aircraft and waited for the ice to clear at there next destination, Angmagssallik Greenland (now Kangilinnguit). While they waited a forty foot boat named the ‘Leif Ericson’ with four men onboard, they were attempting to replicate the voyage of Eric the Red when he crossed over to North America around the year 1000, the flyers went to the dock to see them off, they reportedly reached Greenland but were never seen again. Also arriving was Italian Lt. Antonio Locatelli with a crew of three in his Dornier Wal twin engine sea plane who was also attempting to fly around the world. At Lt. Smiths request, General Patrick gave permission for Locatelli to fly with them. After two weeks of waiting and fearing conditions at Angmagssallik would not improve they decided to fly directly 830 miles to their next destination of Fredricksdal (Narsaq Kujalleq) Greenland. They were ready to go on the 18th but as they were lining up to take off a large wave swept over the planes shattering New Orleans propeller and Chicago’s front pontoon spreader.

 

Finally at 6:55 am on the 21st and with five navy ships patrolling the route, the two cruisers followed by the Italian headed for Greenland. Locatelli tried to stay information with the two Douglas’s but they were too slow for his Dornier so he saluted and forged ahead. After flying past the destroyers Billingsley and Barry they ran into heavy fog but continued on course at wave height. About 70 miles from Greenland they started encountering large Icebergs that they would only see when they were upon them. When dodging an iceberg the two planes got separated when Smith turned right while Nelson turned left. Smith continued to dodge icebergs until he reached the rocky coast of Greenland and then continued on a compass course to Fredricksdal, Black smoke coming from the Danish coastguard cutter Island Falk told them they were at their destination. Smith landed, tied up and started to inspected and refuel there plane. There was no sign of New Orleans or the Dornier until as Smith and Arnold finishing their tasks the sound of a Liberty engine echoed across the harbor and Nelson circled and landed. They had both survived the longest and most dangerous leg of the entire flight, but there was no sign of Locatelli and his crew. Once they Americans were safely aboard the Danish vessel, the ships of the US Navy started searching a 12,000 square mile area to try to locate the Italians.

 

September 30, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Grumman G-73 Mallard. The Mallard first flew in 1946, it followed on the success of the Goose and Widgeon but was larger with a tricycle gear and a two step hull. It was designed for regional airlines but postwar surplus aircraft limited the market potential. Most of the 59 built were used as corporate use, before production was neded in favor of the larger G-111 Albatross. Many have been converted too turboprops, 32 are still registered in the united states with many more are active around the world. The aircraft I am using was made by Milton Shupe and updated to FSX by LDR Development. The plane is one of my favorites (yes you can tell I like these Grumman Amphibians). If I was to do a trip like this for real I would probably want to do it in a Mallard.

 

Weather for the next flight was partly cloudy, 7 knot winds with a temperature of 10C/50F, a few clouds at 2100 feet and scattered clouds at 6600 feet. I started off just before dawn and headed at 2000 feet but because of clouds quickly dropped down to 1000 feet. About 2 hours in the skys cleared and I climbed to 4000 feet until we got within sight of Greenland. Dropping to 2000 feet we flew along the coast and then up Prince Christian Sound and followed the channels to Narsaq Kujalleq. There is no airport here in P3D so I used ADE to create a simple seaplane airport in the harbor with a Coast Guard cutter to mark it. The 681 nm flight took 4.3 hours to fly. Here are the pics.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Sunrise colors.

 

Glamour shots.

 

Greenland in sight!

 

Flying along the coast.

 

Flying up Prince Christian Sound.

 

Making our way along the channels.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading,

ATB.

[blanston12]

August 24, 1924: The five navy ship had been searching for the Italians since they disappeared on the 21st, they were about to abandon the search as they were running out of supplies when an observer on the Richmond spotted a flicker of light on the horizon from the Italians. Locatelli landed in the sea rather that risk flying into an iceberg in the heavy fog, he planned to resume when the fog cleared, but heavy seas and floating ice damaged there craft so badly that he could not take off again. The four Italians were so seasick from their ordeal that they had to be lifted up to the ship using the cargo nets.

 

The fliers next prepared for there next leg to the village and mining camp of Ivigtut, 150 miles further up the coast, they waited until the 24th when reports of good conditions at Ivigtut so despite the fog and rain at Fredricksdal, Smith and Nelson decided to go. They flew for two hours along the fringed coast, through freezing rain, snow, fog and winds that increased to gale force before they sighted the fairly well protected harbor of Ivigtut with the cruiser Milwaukee anchored waiting for them.

 

For the next leg I am using the DHC-2 Beaver. The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engine STOL aircraft that has been used for wide variety of utility roles. Over 1657 were built between 1947 and 1967, hundreds are still in use around the world. The model I am using today was made by Milviz and is very nice. My flight today to Kangilinnguit Greenland, which is 5km away from Ivigtut, which was abandoned in 1987 when the mine closed. There was no airport in P3D here so I created a simple seaplane port using ADE. The weather for the flight was light snow with 7 knot winds, a temperature of -1C/29F and clouds at 6600 feet, relatively it was not bad weather for flying. I flew along the coast at around 3000 feet and except for one time when the engine quit and I had to restart it they flight was uneventful and I flew the 125nm in 1.2 hours. A shout out has to go to FlightSim Greenland where I got the scenery for the area around Narsaq Kujalleq.(Narsarsuaq X)

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready to go.

 

Climbing out of Narsaq Kujalleq.

 

Looks cold.

 

i did mention snow, didn't I.

 

Heading along the channels.

 

You can see the remains of Ivigtut to the right and Kangilinnguit is center in the distance.

 

Landing by the cutter.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading,

ATB.

[blanston12]

August 31st, 1924: The town of Ivigtut consisted “of a few men and women and about 150 Danish miners” (apparently the miners do not count as men), and billions of tiny biting gnats who Nelson described as “the most troublesome brutes you ever saw – worse even than tropical insects”. There were some repairs needed to the aircraft and Smith decided that since they had engines available they would replace them as a safety precaution. The work was done by the 28th but until the 31st that the navy was in position and the weather reports favorable for the 560 mile flight to Icy Tickle in Labrador, Canada. Ten minutes out they hit heavy fog that required them to stay low until they broke into clear skies after thirty minutes. Two hundred miles from Labrador they ran into head winds and Chicago’s fuel pump suddenly failed, a few minutes later the wind driven fuel pump failed also and oil started to leak out of the engine. Smith switched to the 58 gallon gravity feed reserve tank but that would only allow 2 hours of flying, he yelled at Arnold to start using the hand pump. He would pump for the next three hours, knowing staying airborne was his responsibility. After what seemed like a lifetime to both men, Richmond was sighted in the calm bay of Indian Harbor. It had taken them 6 hours and 55 minutes of flying to reach North America from Greenland.

 

For the next leg I will be using the Grumman HU-16 Albatross. The Albatross first flew in 1949 and was used as a search and rescue aircraft by the USAF, USN and USCG. Developed from the Mallard to be able to land in open ocean situations. At least 466 were built when production ended in 1961. The model I am using today was made by Virtavia and is nice. The weather for the flight was cloudy; 18 knot winds a temperature of -2.7C/27F and clouds starting at 3085 feet. I tried to find out more about ‘Icy Tickle’ but did not find much, helipaddy.com list an “Aerial Point of Interest” with reference to the world cruisers that allowed me to fix the location. I used ADE to create a simple seaplane airport at the location and got ready to fly.

 

Heading out over the Ocean, we had to drop to 2000 feet to stay under the clouds but it was a fairly uneventful flight and the Albatross had no problem despite the 25 knot cross wind that became a head wind. The 499 nm flight took just over 3 hours.

 

Here are the pics:

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.1.jpg

Ready to go.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.2.jpg

Climbing out.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.3.jpg

Heading to the coast.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.4.jpg

Glamour shots.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.5.jpg

Few more small islands then open ocean.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.6.jpg

Clear finally.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.7.jpg

Our destination with the cutter waiting.

 

http://www.fsairlines.net/private/Leg6.6/wc.6.6.8.jpg

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.

[blanston12]

September 2, 1924: Upon there return to North America they were greeted on the deck of Richmond by Admiral Magruder, commander of the Atlantic Scouting fleet who had a series of cables he read from General Patrick, Secretary of War Davis and President Coolidge all congratulating them on there achievement. They spent the next day preparing there planes for the next flight to Hawks Bay Newfoundland. In the afternoon Richmond left the harbor to be replaced by Milwaukee, where they would spend the night. Despite the fact that the weather reports were not favorable they left Icy Tickle around 11am. After three hours following the Newfoundland coast they ran into heavy fog, and as they always had they dropped to wave top level above the heavy swells, at one point they zoomed over a coastal steamer, missing its bridge by 30 feet. They passed many small fishing villages and were surprised to see the inhabitants waving at them. After nearly six hours of flying they landed in Hawkes bay where Ashburne was waiting for them.

 

October 2, 2017: I had planned on using the DHC3 Otter but the AH/FJ version is not out yet, I tried another payware version who I won’t name but after experimenting with it I can’t endorse it by using it here so instead I will again use the Grumman Albatross by Virtavia. Since I have been using Coast Guard cutters at all my seaplane ports I will use a USGC paint in their honor. The weather for this is Partly Cloudy with 10 knot winds, a temperature of 4C/40F and clouds starting at 3100 feet. We flew along the Labrador coast and down the west coast of Newfoundland to Hawkes bay and the town of Port au Choix and landed at its tiny airstrip. The 228nm flight took 1.5 hours.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready to go.

 

Climbing out of Icy Tickle.

 

Along the Labrador coast.

 

Tiny Islands.

 

Coast of Newfoundland.

 

The town of Port au Choix.

 

Looking back and my destination.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.

[blanston12]

September 3, 1924: At dawn the weather at Hawkes Bay was discouraging but it cleared up quickly and they flyers were off by 11am for Pictou, Nova Scotia. Along the way they flew past Milwaukee, McFarland, Cogland and Richmond as they were sailing home. They were met by an aircraft from the RCAF who escorted them to the harbor, there they were greeted by a several American and Canadian destroyers all blowing there whistles and crowds of people along the waterfront waving. Also floating in the harbor was a Douglas World Cruiser labeled Boston II. At Lt Smiths suggestion, General Patrick ordered the prototype DWC prepared and flown to Nova Scotia so that Wade and Ogden could continue the flight. Smith also requested that there be no entertainments, receptions or escorts be arranged for them prior to the completion of there mission in Seattle. Despite that request they were placed into cars that joined a parade through town, taken to the park where short speeches given welcoming them to the town and finally to a hotel for a Lobster dinner and dance, a pattern that would continue for the rest of there trip.

 

October 5, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the North American, T-28C Trojan. The Trojan is a trainer used by the USAF and USN in the 1950's. Over 1900 were built between 1950 and 1957 and saw service in many countries in trainer and counter insurgency roles. The last was retired in 1994 but many continue to fly in civilian hands. The model I am using today is made by Ant's Aircraft and is one of my favorites, It's not released yet for V4 but I hope it will be soon.

 

The weather for the flight was clear, temperature of 3.3C/38F and 8 knot winds. It was an uneventful flight as we flow along the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia at about 2400 feet. I landed at Trenton Airport (closest to Pictou), flying 371 nm in 1.8 hours.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready to go.

 

Heading south.

 

Flying along the coast of Nova Scotia.

 

Glamour Shots.

 

The co-pilot looks happy.

 

Cruising.

 

Getting close to my destination.

 

Secured, look a welcoming committee.

 

Thanks for reading,

ATB.

[blanston12]

September 5, 1924: The 4th was windy and rainy to fly, so they were treated noon concert of Bag Pipers and a lobster dinner on the Canadian Destroyer Patriot. The original plan was to go to St. John Newfoundland to refuel and then proceed to Boston, but Lt Smith disagreed and wanted to fly directly to Boston. They left the harbor of the 11:15 am flying along the coast of Nova Scotia in a rain squall but soon came into good weather. They passed St. John in good weather but soon ran into fog that got thicker as they flew on. They tried to climb over and under but no avail, after a few narrow scrapes with trees Smith decided getting to Boston when the city leaders expected was not worth the risk, just before they got to Portland Maine they turned back and headed inland finding a sheltered cove on Casco Bay near Mere Point Maine, they spent the night in cabins offered by local residents.

 

October 7, 2017: For the next flight I will be using the Douglas DC-6B. The DC-6 project started in 1944 as a lengthened and more powerful version of the DC-4 with a pressurized hull. After the war the design was reworked to compete with the Lockheed Constellation, it first flew in 1946 and 704 were built before production ended in 1958. The DC-6 was regarded by many as the ultimate piston-engine airliner from the standpoint of ruggedness, reliability, economical operation, and handling qualities. The model I am using is by JustFlight/Aeroplane Heaven and is one of my favorites. I have previously done RTW flights using this aircraft.

 

The weather for my flight was good, clear with 7 knot winds and a temperature of 9C/47F. They flight was uneventful, I flew at 4000 feet and landed at Brunswick Executive Airport (formerly NAS Brunswick, closest airport to Mere Point), the 329 mile flight took 1.6 hours.

 

Here are the pics

 

Ready to go.

 

Along the coast of Nova Scotia.

 

Selfie!

 

I hope she does not get board back there by herself.

 

Along the coast of Maine.

 

Lots of little Islands.

 

On final into Brunswick.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading

ATB.

[Macroburst]

Chilly looking flight!

Loved it.

Much thanks- I love the posts!

[blanston12]

September 6, 1924: The flyers had not seen a newspaper since they left Scotland and expected the same passing interest when they arrived as other record setting Air Service flights. They got fuel from commercial gas stations in Brunswick so they would have enough to make it to Boston without having to stop again. As they were waiting a flight of ten DH-4’s arrived overhead, wagging there wings in greeting, they had been flown north to escort them to Boston and were lead by General Patrick, chief of the Army Air Service. Smith held up a funnel and gas can to signal the reason for the delay. After circling for a while they DH-4’s headed to Old Orchard main to wait for them. They were in the air by noon and after an uneventful flight they arrived over Boston two hours later, there was a great crowd milling around the airport, fireboats spouted water, navy ships fired there guns and every boat was blowing its whistle in salute. The cruisers landed in the harbor while the escorts landed at the airport. There planes were lifted by crane onto the navy dock where the pontoons would be swapped for wheels for the last time. The six men signed the airport entry book and were taken by automobile to the state capitol, escorted by cavalry guard, where they were welcomed by the Governor, Mayor and other military and political officials, all who whom gave short speeches. As they were lead through the city, there were cheering crowds on every street they passed. They were finally taken to the Plaza hotel were an entire floor was reserved for them. That night they dined with General Patrick, they general posted guards so it would be a quiet affair.

 

October 7, 2017: To make a grand entrance into Boston I chose the North American F-100D. The North American F-100 Super Sabre was the first USAF fighter capable of supersonic speed in level flight. 2294 were built between 1953 and 1959, it served with the USAF until 1972 and the last was retired in 1988. The Model I am using is by Milviz and it is nice.

 

It was foggy in Brunswick, 5 knot winds with a temperature of 16C/61F. Clouds were supposed to go up to 6000 feet so I climb up through it and proceed to Boston. The cloud thinned as I got closer to city and was able to make an easy landing at Logan Airport. They 103 mile flight took only 24 minutes.

 

Here are the pics.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Climbing through the fog.

 

Finally above it.

 

Glamour Shots.

 

Selfie!

 

Decending into Boston.

 

My destination is ahead.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.

[blanston12]

On the 7th they were up at 4am to spend the day the exchange of pontoons for wheels, refueling and checking the planes for the next leg to Mitchell field on Long Island New York. A large crowd gathered but were kept away by solders and police. They were off at noon on a exceptionally clear day, they flew over New London Connecticut, Arnold's home town, and after passing Bridgeport they were joined by an escort of ten DH-4's carrying General Patrick, Senator Wadsworth of New York and Lt Nelsons Brother Gunnar. They flew over Manhattan, over the Statue of Liberty and then east to Mitchell field. A large crowd had gathered, the General and Senator landed first and the mob surged forward thinking they were the cruisers. The flyers had to circle overhead as solders cleared the field so they could land, as they taxied to a stop the crowd again broke through, it took great effort to prevent the souvenir hunters from cutting up the planes fabric. The Prince of Wales was escorted through the crowd and congratulated each flyer with a hand shake and said “Shall we settle our bets, Gentlemen”.

 

October 8, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Fokker F-27 Friendship. The F-27 is a twin engine turboprop airliner made by the Dutch Fokker company. 586 were built between 1955 and 1987 and it was one of the most successful european airliners of the era. The model I am using is by JustFlight and is nice. The weather for my flight was cloudy, 7 knot winds with a temperature of 23C/73F and a cloud level of 2004 feet. The cloud level kept dropping on me and I ended up flying at around 800-1500 feet along the coast of Connecticut and up Long Island Sound. I flew over Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and turned left toward Long Island. Mitchell field is long gone so the closest airport so I instead landed at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, 9 miles east, my 146mn nm flight took just over 1 hour.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Heading out of Boston

 

Fall colors.

 

Long Island Sound.

 

The Big Apple.

 

Statue of Liberty flyby.

 

Looking back at the city as we head down Long Island.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading

ATB.

[blanston12]

September 9, 1924: The three cruisers and there ten escorts left Mitchell at 9:30 am headed for Washington DC, and immediately ran into stiff head winds that slowed there ground speed to 35mph. They flew over Philadelphia and stopped at Aberdeen Maryland. As the short range DH-4’s refueled they were met by General Billy Mitchell, assistant chief of the air service.

 

October 9, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Lockheed L-188 Electra. The L-188 was the first large American turboprop airliner, with its large flaps and high power to weight ratio it had short field performance unmatched by jet transports even today. Only 170 were built between 1957 and 1961 and was later developed into the even more successful P-3 Orion. I remember when I was small, PSA in California used Electra’s to fly into the Lake Tahoe airport in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Even though the airline had converted all its other routes to jets the Electra could better operate in the hight aititude and confinded spaces between the mountains and the airport. The model I am using was made by Team FS KBT and is excellent. The PSA repaint was by Fabio Cabral.

 

The weather started off foggy, 1.8 visibility with clouds extending to 6600 feet, 6 knot winds and a temperature of 22C/72F. To get over the clouds I tried to climb to 7000 feet and then 8000 feet as I made a direct course to the Aberdeen proving grounds. Eventually the clouds cleared a bit and I could descend to 4000 feet as I flew over Philadelphia. As descended down to 2000 feet as I got closer to the airport I got hit by fog again and had to go down to 800 feet so I could see anything. I finally came around and landed but it was far from pretty, but at least I was down safe. The 148 nm flight took 39 minutes.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Climbing out of Farmington.

 

Up above the clouds.

 

Starting to clear up.

 

Philli.

 

Following the Delaware.

 

Back into the fog.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.

[blanston12]

September 9, 1924: After refueling at Aberdeen, they flyers and there escorts were off again for Bolling field, Washington DC. Eight miles south of Baltimore the engine on New Orleans suddenly quit and Nelson made a smooth forced landing in a pasture. General Patrick and several of the escorts landed while the other two cruisers circled. Knowing the president and cabinet were waiting at Bolling field had Nelson take the escort carrying his brother in the passenger seat while Harding would stay with New Orleans.

 

The President Coolidge had been waiting with his wife and most of the cabinet in the rain since 11am, when one of them suggested they leave he said “Not on your life, I will wait all day if necessary”. It was still raining when they arrived over Bolling field. The cruisers circled a couple time and landed, followed by there escorts. They were warmly greeted by the President who asked many questions of the flyers. Overnight Harding was able to repair New Orleans and it flown to Bolling field the next day. The flyers would stay in Washington for the next three days to grant interviews, meet with Generals and officials, and participate in the Defense day activities September 12th.

 

October 10, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Aero Commander 500. The Aero commander is a series of twin engine utility and business aircraft that were introduced in 1952. Over 3100 of all variants were built before production ended in 1986. The model I am using was made by Milton Shupe and is one of my favorites. I was planning on flying to Washington the same day as Aberdeen but decided against it after landing in the fog. The weather the next day was better, Broken clouds at 3500 feet, no wind and a temperature of 20C/68F. The flight was uneventful, I stayed between 1000 and 2000 feet before arriving over the capitol. Bolling field is long gone, but right across the river from its former site is Reagan national airport so thats where I landed. The 55nm flight too 27 minutes.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready to go.

 

Heading out over Baltimore.

 

Just a few clouds.

 

Chesapeake Bay.

 

Just afew more clouds.

 

The capitol ahead.

 

I probably could not fly here in real life.

 

Landed.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.

[Macroburst]

The Electra's smile just about made me let loose of my coffee... Thanks! That was good!

Really enjoying your flights

[blanston12]

September 13, 1924: The previous day they had flown over the city and taken part in the parade of troops in the Defense Day activities. “The reception and applause given to us all along the line of march was wonderful.” Arnold wrote. “And to be so received by our own people thrilled us all, it was probably the greatest moment in our lives.” The weather was marginal the day they departed for Dayton Ohio, but they were fatigued by all the attention they had received and were ready to press on. Five escorting planes joined them but they left when they ran into near Harpers Ferry. The flyers continued on, flying low over the telephone poles and tree tops as they followed the rail road through the valley. About 80 miles from Dayton the first planes joined them, there numbers increased to about 20 flying information into McCook Field, then the Air Services major aircraft evaluation center. A crowd of nearly 10,000 waited at the airfield to greet them, Two men quickly emerged from the crowd to extend there congratulations, Major Martin and Sgt Harvey, who had piloted Seattle before they crashed in Alaska. For the next two days in shifts, mechanics went over every part of the aircraft and replaced anything that showed any wear or tear, it was the first time the flyers had allowed anyone to work on the aircraft without them being present since the flight started.

 

October 13, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Hawker Siddeley HS-748. The HS-748 is a medium size turboprop airliner originally designed by Avro as a replacement for aging DC-3’s. With good STOL performance it found a dedicated market, About 380 aircraft were built between 1961 and 1988. The aircraft is by JustFlight/Aeroplane Heaven. Weather was not the best, cloudy with 6 knot winds a temperature of 17C/63F and clouds from 700 feet extending up to about 6000 feet. Knowing I had to fly over the Appalachian Mountains I climbed up to 8000 feet and headed west over the clouds. McCook field closed in 1927; instead I landed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, about 7 miles to the east. The 331 nm flight took 1.4 hours.

 

Here are the pics:

 

Ready to go.

 

Climbing out of DC.

 

Climbing up over the clouds.

 

Over the Appalachian Mountains

 

Cruising.

 

Crossing the Ohio river.

 

Coming into Dayton.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading

ATB.

[blanston12]

The Electra's smile just about made me let loose of my coffee... Thanks! That was good!

Really enjoying your flights

 

i remember when I was younger PSA aircraft flying around California with those smiles painted on them, I always loved that! Thanks for the complements Macroburst!

[blanston12]

September 15, 1924: The three cruisers left McCook field for Chicago and followed the railroad lines that all seemed to point in the direction of their destination. A huge crowd had seen them off and an even larger crowd was waiting for them at the Maywood Airmail field outside the city. They were taken by limousine with motorcycle escort to the Drake hotel where a large banquet was planned for that evening.

 

October 14, 2017: For the next leg I will be using the Boeing 737-200. Originally planned as a smaller twin engine airliner derived from the 707 and 727, it has become the best selling commercial airliner in history with over 9700 delivered by 2017 with over 4000 still on order. The 737 was one of the first airliners I remember flying on, as a young lad I was very impressed by the air-stairs that came out of the fuselage from under the door. The model I am using was made by Captain Sim and is quite nice.

 

The weather started off nice, clear with 6 knot winds and a temperature of 26C/79F. Maywood Airmail field closed in 1927, so instead I will fly to Midway, which opened around the time Maywood closed and is the closest airport that can handle the 737. I climbed out of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and headed to Chicago at 9200 feet, trying to stay plausibly VFR. The clouds started to build as I neared Chicago and thunder clouds hung around the city. About 15 miles out I ran into clouds that went to below 2000 feet, I had to use the ILS to find the correct path to the runway and made a respectable landing. The 206nm flight took 54 minutes.

 

Here are the pics.

 

Ready for takeoff.

 

Climbing out of Dayton.

 

Just a few clouds.

 

Lots of farmland.

 

Is that lightning?

 

Can't see much in these clouds, better get lower.

 

Airport found, on final! Yes I noticed that I need more flaps.

 

Secured.

 

Thanks for reading.

ATB.