Bob’s Flight Report from Lake Washington:

“ Our first excursion onto Lake Washington (April 9) was to really work with the basics.
First of all, we had the beaching gear from Edo—that allowed us to tow the plane from our south end shop to the north end seaplane ramp. It required Mitch and I, in waders, to remove the gear after the launching. Of course, this would be an introduction/training for our crew on launching, docking, and retrieving the plane. This was also the first of 6 fuel load tests—so we taxied the plane out into the lake, turning into and away from the wind, plus sailing backwards. We were very pleased with the rudder authority that the new Edo Otter rudders gave us. We retrieved the plane with a flat, wheeled dolly/trailer that we borrowed from our friend, Rex. (He usually has his Cessna 185 on it.)

The only squawk we had was with the intercom which I was able to sort out the next day.
We realized we would have to have a more permanent launching system. James Young turned me on to an ingenious Otter lift platform that Rust’s Air Service, in Anchorage had come up with. I went up to Anchorage Aviation Trade Show and talked to folks about the logistics of going out the Aleutians, and Colin Rust allowed me to photograph and take measurements of their neat solution for a lift platform.

On our second foray onto the water, (September 18) we used the beaching gear for the last time—and it was a real challenge because the level of Lake Washington was at record lows and Mitch and I had to wade out into the mud to get the tail wheels off. By now, the dock crew was well-versed and things went smoothly. This was, also, our second fuel load test, as we are working our way up to full gross.

Out on the lake, we did step-taxiing up and downwind, with full power turns. Finally, it was time for our first flight. The Cruiser accelerated smoothly up onto the step and took off in 25-30 seconds, and we circled around Mercer Island. Our water landing was smooth, solid, and amazingly short.The flight with floats was very stable and the airplane had a rock-solid feel on the step.We used our new Rust-designed lifting rig and Seaplane Scenic’s float truck to bring the plane back to Aerodyne. We can’t say enough about the excellent performance and reliability of the great engine that Dominic Spediacci put together for us. The only squawk we had was radio static, which is understandable, as we were using the old, solid core ignition wire.I’m currently building up a new harness, using a carbon conductor. We will continue our load testing and collecting performance data. For our next time out—Jim Larsen will take some action shots from Brad’s jet boat!”

Thanks to our skilled and dedicated crew of volunteers the Cruiser has been “like a duck to water” with the new pontoons. Many thanks as well to the great folks at the Renton Airport for their continued support of the project.

September 2016 - cover Story

Be sure to pick up the October issue of Air Classics magazine. They have been kind enough to feature articles about our project as well as the history of the original 1924 world flight. The articles also showcase some beautiful air-to-air photos by photographer Jim Larsen that were taken on July 14th. The occasion was Diane's first flight in the Cruiser as our test pilot, Carter Teeters, flew from the Arlington Airport to Boeing Field for the Boeing 100th Celebration.

July 2016 - Happy Birthday Boeing! 

Congratulations to the Boeing Company on their 100th anniversary! We were very proud and excited to have been asked to bring the Cruiser down to the Museum of Flight to help mark the occasion last month.  Many thanks to those at the event that came over and said hello. Be sure to visit this section of our website to learn more about the Douglas World Cruiser's connection to Boeing: BOEING 100

Howdy -

The Mayor of Arlington graciously invited the Seattle II to the Arlington Fly-In this past weekend. We were at the static display around the Red Barn with the Boeing Model 40 and the Gee Bee Super Q.E.D. II.

We're very happy to announce that the Judges voted us the Champion - Early Vintage Award winner. Congratulations to all of the volunteers and supporters of our wonderful project!

Cheers,
Bob & Diane

December 15th, 2014

We are delighted to announce that we've received our Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA and are now cleared to make out first flight! Please join us for this major milestone event Saturday, December 20th at The Museum of Flight.                                                 We plan to fly at noon. Bob will be giving a presentation inside the museum at 2:00 PM with a reception to follow. 

September 28th, 2014

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Douglas World Cruisers return to Seattle to complete the first flight around the world. An estimated 40,000 spectators were on hand at Sand Point on September 28th 1924 to welcome the fliers back to Seattle. After landing, the pilots and crew of the Douglas World Cruisers were whisked away to the official welcoming reception at the Volunteer Park bandstand. A mayor, governor, Admiral, General and ambassador all spoke. The Chamber of Commerce presented the fliers with rings made of Alaskan gold. They were also later awarded the MacKay Trophy for the “meritorious flight of the year”.  

Of the eight aviators that were part of the flight, two retired as major generals, one a brigadier general, one a vice president for Lockheed Aviation, and three as colonels.  Of the six who circumnavigated, five retired from the military within three years. A generation later, four returned to Army Air Forces leadership roles for the duration of World War II.

Archival footage from 1924 via the Periscope Film LLC archive: