Martin, Frederick L. (Frederick LeRoy), 1882-1954
Person
Dates
- Existence: November 26, 1882 - February 23, 1954
Biographical Information
Major Frederick L. Martin graduated from Purdue University in 1908 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Major Frederick Martin was the commander of the first around-the-world flight. The aircraft were U.S. Army Air Service Douglas World Cruisers. They were part of a fleet of five big (for the time) double-wing planes built especially for the historic world mission by the then four-year-old Douglas Aircraft Company. The World Cruiser flight crews were Army Air Service officers and enlisted men chosen and trained for the mission as carefully as the first U.S. astronauts in the 1960s.
The epic journey took just over six months; four of the World Cruisers took off from Clover Field on March 17, 1924, with one aircraft held in reserve. Two aircraft -- but no crew members -- were lost in the globe-circling mission. The reserve aircraft joined the two surviving planes in Nova Scotia and completed the mission with them. The flight covered more than 26,000 miles with 72 stops along a west-to-east route.
Major Frederick Martin was the commander of the first around-the-world flight. The aircraft were U.S. Army Air Service Douglas World Cruisers. They were part of a fleet of five big (for the time) double-wing planes built especially for the historic world mission by the then four-year-old Douglas Aircraft Company. The World Cruiser flight crews were Army Air Service officers and enlisted men chosen and trained for the mission as carefully as the first U.S. astronauts in the 1960s.
The epic journey took just over six months; four of the World Cruisers took off from Clover Field on March 17, 1924, with one aircraft held in reserve. Two aircraft -- but no crew members -- were lost in the globe-circling mission. The reserve aircraft joined the two surviving planes in Nova Scotia and completed the mission with them. The flight covered more than 26,000 miles with 72 stops along a west-to-east route.
Citation
Retrieved August 6, 2010 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/70TH+ANNIVERSARY+OF+FIRST+GLOBE-CIRCLING+FLIGHT-a015858382Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Frederick L. Martin collection
Collection — Box: Communal Collections 9, Placement: 10
Identifier: MSA 166
Scope and Contents
The papers contain an article which describes the first flight around the world and Major Frederick Martin's part in it.
Dates:
1999