"a425couple" wrote in message news:n8ZSN.185165$***@fx16.iad...
Yo Jim -
In today's Seattle Times was this story I figured you might
be interested in:
"The first aerial circumnavigation of the world launched in Seattle in 1924"
page E8 by Erin Edwards
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The Douglas World Cruiser flight demonstrated what organizational and
financial support could accomplish, more than advances in aircraft design;
they were modified Navy torpedo bombers. The first transatlantic flights
were similarly highly organized beyond commercial practicality, Lindbergh
was the first to simply fly across by himself, though 90+ aviators had flown
before him with considerable support. Two failed shortly before his flight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Oiseau_Blanc
Perhaps the most significant long range flight was the MacRobertson race, in
which stock production Douglas DC-2 and Boeing 247 airliners beat many of
the best custom racers. It demonstrated that the sought-for advance in
aviation was already American reality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRobertson_Air_Race
The DC-3 was a widened DC-2.
Pan Am ordered the Clipper flying boats because Britain wouldn't grant
runway landing rights until they had a competitive transatlantic airliner,
which took them many years. Lindbergh and his wife Anne scouted the global
routes for Pan Am in a small seaplane, for which they deserves much more
credit than they've been given. The Pacific Clipper was accidentally the
first airliner around the world, after Japan blocked the return trip.
http://goldenageofaviation.org/sirius.htm
"In 1933 the Lindberghs headed accross the North Atlantic on the route that
had made Charles a house hold name in 1927. This flight was far more
ambitious than Lindbergh's ledgendary New York-to-Paris solo flight,he and
his wife would circumnavigate a sizable portion of it looking for potential
airline routes."
A Boeing 787-9 can now make the London to Perth flight non-stop, and unlike
longer ranged bombers without aerial refueling. Due to headwinds and to
avoid Iranian airspace the Perth to London flight now makes one refueling
stop.