In a current exhibition commemorating the History of Flight, the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC features steel drums that were made by SKOLNIK. The exhibit is the story of the Chicago, the Boston, the Seattle and the New Orleans – the first planes to attempt to fly around the world. The four planes departed Seattle on April 6th, 1924 and two completed the journey 175 days later making 74 stops and covering about 27,550 miles. Critical to the undertaking were steel drums strategically located at planned stopping points. These drums carried the fuel and oil needed to carry out the flights. The Chicago alone needed 7,000 gallons of fuel to fly the entire mission. The flyers left Seattle and flew up the coast of Canada to Alaska, then crossed the Aleutian Islands to the Komandorski Islands. This leg was the first flight crossing the Pacific Ocean. They then headed to Southeast Asia stopping in Japan, China, Burma, and French Indochina. Through the Far and Middle East, they flew to India, Iraq and Jordan and then headed to Europe. The crossing from Europe back to the US was the longest over-water flight and ships were positioned in the Atlantic in case of an emergency. Of the four planes, only the Chicago and the New Orleans made the final 560 mile Atlantic crossing and landed in Labrador. Both planes then headed down to Washington, DC, Dayton, Chicago, Dallas and San Diego. The journey culminated with their final return to Seattle on September 28th, 1924. Click here to see photos of the planes…and the steel drums that made this historic flight possible!
Cool Stuff