INTO UNKNOWN SKIES

An exciting tale of traversing the world in fragile machines with crude instruments a century ago.

Flying across oceans, or even around the world, is now so commonplace that the main complaint is often about insufficient legroom. However, for two decades after the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the idea of long-distance flight was dismissed as fanciful. The remarkable 1924 race to circumnavigate the globe has been largely forgotten, but journalist Randall, author of Dreamland and Black Death at the Golden Gate, sets out to correct the record. The author notes that by the early 1920s, the U.S. had fallen behind most other countries in aviation technology, and the military showed little interest. The exception was Billy Mitchell, an irascible officer who believed that the next war would be fought in the air. He hit upon the idea of an international race to stir public interest, even though there were few American companies capable of meeting the engineering requirements. Eventually four Douglas World Cruisers, hardy two-seat seaplanes, were designed and built. A half-dozen countries entered the contest, although it was an odd sort of competition, with no common starting point or date. Moreover, the Americans flew west, while the Europeans flew east. The persistent problems were bad weather, fuel shortages, and mechanical breakdowns. Incredibly, after 175 days and 26,345 miles, averaging 72.5 miles per hour, the American team made it home, the only team to finish. Though Congress and military officials remained unimpressed, there was a blossoming of companies that saw the potential in moving mail, freight, and passengers. All this makes for an interesting story, and Randall handles it well, providing an engaging, colorful read.

With careful research, Randall capably assembles the tale of the race that put the world on the path to modern aviation.