World Cruiser

airplane

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Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

The "World Cruiser" was a fabric-covered biplane used by the U.S. Army in 1924 for the first aerial circumnavigation of the world. These aircraft featured interchangeable landing gear, allowing them to land on both land and water by swapping wheels for floats. The expedition aimed to fly westward from Seattle, with two of the four planes completing the journey of 23,377 miles over 175 days. This historic flight demonstrated aviation's growing capabilities in long-distance travel, preceding Charles Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight in 1927.12

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history of flight
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…quartet of single-engine Douglas “World Cruisers” westward toward Asia. These fabric-covered biplanes featured interchangeable landing gear—replacing wheels with floats for water landings. One plane crashed in Alaska, forcing the two-man crew to hike out of a snowbound wilderness. Near the end of the expedition, a second aircraft, en route…
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…quartet of single-engine Douglas “World Cruisers” westward toward Asia. These fabric-covered biplanes featured interchangeable landing gear—replacing wheels with floats for water landings. One plane crashed in Alaska, forcing the two-man crew to hike out of a snowbound wilderness. Near the end of the expedition, a second aircraft, en route…
Read More