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Scale
1:5
Model design by K & W Model Airplanes Inc. |
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Air Service commissioned specially-built aircraft from the Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California. The design was a sturdy, 15-m (49-ft) span, two-place biplane powered by a single twelve-cylinder, water-cooled 400-horsepower Liberty Engine. A total of five airplanes were built, including a prototype for testing. The Douglas World Cruisers, as they were named, could be equipped with wheels or pontoons, depending on the terrain from which they were operating. The aircraft did not have radios or advanced navigational aids, only the standard rudimentary flight instrumentation of the day.
After practice with the four flight aircraft in Santa Monica and San Diego, the crews headed north to Seattle, the official point of departure for the round-the-world flight. Shortly after setting off on the first leg of the trip on April 6, 1924, Major Martin, piloting the lead airplane, the Seattle, fell behind. Engine trouble forced him down and the other World Cruisers continued on. After an engine replacement, Martin and his mechanic, Sgt. Alva Harvey, attempting to catch up with the others waiting at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, departed in questionable weather. The Seattle crashed into a mountainside after getting lost in fog. The airplane was destroyed, but luckily Martin and Harvey escaped with minor injuries. Lt. Smith, piloting the Chicago, took over as flight commander
The 1924 round-the-world flight remains one of the truly great achievements in aviation. It was an incredibly arduous trek. The loss of two of the airplanes and the close call for Major Martin and Sgt. Harvey in the crash of the Seattle were hardly the only setbacks. |
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Available in ARF and RNF
The airplane is packed in a strong 3-ply, custom made carton. The individual parts are packed in sealed plastic bags and then wrapped in bubble plastic to ensure safe transport. |
Carton Size: |
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Length : 123 cm 48.5"
Width : 51 cm 20"
Height : 47 cm 18.5"
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Related Technical Memo sheets: |
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RC-37US-Curtiss J4N Jenny, USA 1917 |
RC-40FR-Breguet CU-1, 1910 |
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