Douglas World Cruiser
| Douglas World Cruiser | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Seaplane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 1923 |
| Number of pieces: |
5 |
The Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) from 1923 was the first aircraft to circumnavigate the world in stages.
It emerged from a request from the US Army Air Service with the aim of the first circumnavigation of the world by plane. The Douglas Aircraft Company developed the DWC from their double decker - torpedo bomber Douglas DT-2 .
Five machines were built for the circumnavigation of the world (one for testing purposes, the other four for circumnavigation). The DWC had a much larger tank volume than the DT, as well as an improved cooling system. In addition, the DWC could also be equipped with floats.
The four planes were named Boston , Chicago , New Orleans and Seattle . The world tour began on April 24, 1924 in the city of Seattle . The Seattle plane crashed in the mountains of Alaska on April 30th . The crew, Major Frederick L. Martin and Staff Sergeant Alva L. Harvey, survived and were rescued from the wild. The three other machines continued to fly over Asia , the Orient and Europe .
Maintenance points where, for example, replacement engines were stored were distributed over the entire route. The Boston had to make an emergency landing in the Atlantic . It was in the recovery by a USN - cruiser badly damaged. The other two planes flew to the American east coast . There the test machine named Boston II joined them.
After 44,342 km, the three machines reached their starting point in Seattle again on September 28, 1924 after 157 days . With the DWC the rise of Douglas began to the largest US aviation company.
Museum aircraft
- Chicago is part of the Smithsonian Institution collection
- New Orleans is in the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
- Seattle has been salvaged and restored and is now in the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Douglas DWC (seaplane variant) |
|---|---|
| length | 11.89 m |
| span | 15.27 m |
| Wing area | 65.68 m² |
| height | 4.6 m |
| drive | a Liberty V12 engine with 426 hp (313 kW) |
| Top speed | 161 km / h at sea level |
| Range | 2655 km |
| crew | 2 |
| Service ceiling | 2135 m |
| Empty mass | 1825 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 3536 kg |