Featured Artifact
Fabric from the Boston II
Douglas World Cruiser
Year: 1924
Donated by Patrick Packard

“First Around the World- First the World Around”

Tucked away inside the Collections room at Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum is a unique remnant of mankind’s first successful voyage around the world in an airplane. Only 11 years after the Wright brothers successfully achieved the first air powered flight, the world was attempting to fly an airplane around the entire globe. England, France, Italy, Portugal, and the United States were all striving to be the first to accomplish this feat.

The U.S. Army Air Service tapped Douglas Aviation Corporation to build an airplane that would be up to the task. Douglas ultimately built five planes, which were dubbed the Douglas World Cruisers. One was the initial prototype for testing and the other four, named the Seattle, the Chicago, the New Orleans, and the Boston, were built specifically for the round-the-world trip.

On April 6, 1924, the crews left Seattle, flying toward Asia. On the way to Alaska, the Seattle was caught in a storm and crashed. The other three successfully carried on, traversing China, India, Persia, France, and England. Between the Orkney and Faroe Islands north of Scotland, the Boston had to make a forced landing, which damaged the plane.

Only two were left to complete the last leg of the journey back to Seattle, but at Pictou, Nova Scotia, the initial prototype aircraft Douglas had built met the other crews. This prototype, renamed the Boston II, completed the trek across the United States to Seattle with the other planes, landing in Seattle on September 8, 1924.

The Douglas World Cruisers had made history, inspiring their motto “First Around the World- First the World Around.” The picture above shows a piece of the fabric from the Boston II, graciously donated to Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum by Pat Packard. Originally the prototype plane used by all four crews for practice, the Boston II received its own place in history alongside the other four Douglas World Cruisers. You will notice that although the paint is peeling, the letters U.S.A. are still quite visible. We are proud to have the opportunity to keep and preserve such a remarkable piece of aviation history.