SEATTLE — On Sept. 26-29, 2024, the Museum of Flight will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first successful global flight with special aircraft fly-ins and programs, plus tours and rides in one of only two flyable B-29s, FIFI.
The famous flight began and ended in Seattle, so the museum is partnering with the First World Flight Centennial and Friends of Magnuson Park on the festivities, museum officials noted.
More than a dozen aircraft representing decades of around-the-world record flights will be flown to the museum and be on view in the parking lot. The pilots of these planes will be on hand to meet museum visitors, plus there will be global flight lectures and films. A full schedule is online, and events are free with admission to the museum.
Featured Aircraft and Pilots
- Gulfstream Turbo Commander 900 with global pilot Robert DeLaurentis. Achievements include: Pole to pole around-the-world. On Sept. 29 there will be a screening of Peace Pilot, a documentary about Robert DeLaurentis’ pole to pole flight in 2020. A Q&A with DeLaurentis will follow the film.
- Bonanza P35 V-tail with pilot Adrian Eichhorn. Achievements include: Solo circumnavigation (eastbound), solo flight over the North Pole.
- Lancair IV with pilot Bill Harrelson. Achievements include: Solo circumnavigations over the North and South poles and westbound around the world.
- Lancair Columbia 300 with pilot Harry R. Anderson. Achievements include: Two solo circumnavigations (eastbound and westbound), solo flight over the North Pole, solo flights to seven continents.
- Long-EZ with pilot Patrick Elliot and partner Linda Walker. Achievements include: Flights to six continents.
- Mooney M20J with pilots CarolAnn Garratt and Carol Foy. Achievements include: Three circumnavigations. World record for fastest circumnavigation in this class of airplane.
- RV-9A with pilot John Koehler. Achievements include: Solo circumnavigation (Eastbound).
- Cessna 210 Centurion with pilot Ed Galkin. Achievements include: Four circumnavigations.
Vintage Aircraft
- B-29 Bomber FIFI: Built by Boeing in Renton, Washington, and one of two B-29’s flying today. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force.
- Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket Miss Veedol with pilots Tim Moomaw and Greg Brizendine. Achievements include: In 1931 Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon were the first to cross the Pacific non-stop. (Misawa, Japan, to Wenatchee, Washington)
- Cessna 180: In a Cessna 180, Jerrie Mack became the first woman to fly solo around in the world in 1964.
- Navy N2S Stearman: In 1999, pilot Robert Ragozzino became the first person to fly around the world in an open cockpit since 1924.
- Piper Apache: In this type of aircraft, Joan Merriam Smith flew equatorially, and solo, around the world in 1964.
- Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser: In 1947, two pilots, Clifford Evans and George Truman, circled the globe in their two Piper Super Cruisers, covering 22,436 miles, the first time light personal aircraft accomplished such a feat.
First Global Flight Info
The 1924 first world flight began and ended at Seattle’s Magnuson Park. It lasted 175 days, made 74 stops, and covered 26,363 miles. It was a mammoth American military operation with elite crews and four specially designed airplanes (one named Seattle) that created a sensation wherever they went, according to museum officials.
For more information: MuseumOfFlight.org
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