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Okla-homey
7/22/2008, 06:27 AM
July 22, 1933: Wiley Post flies solo around the world

75 years ago today, Okie aviator Wiley Post completes the world's first solo around-the-world flight.

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Oklahoma aviator Wiley Post returns to Floyd Bennett Field in New York, having flown solo around the world in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. He was the first aviator evar to accomplish the feat.

Wiley Post was born in 1898 in Van Zandt Co., texass, raised in Garvin County Oklahoma and continued to make his home in Oklahoma until his untimely death. He saw his first airplane at an air show in nearby Lawton County (coincidentally, the WW2 ace Robert S. Johnson, grew up in Lawton Co.).

Post's first job was with the US Army. He switched to work in the oil fields in 1919, but whether times were tough, or Post was just wild, he stole a car in 1921. He was convicted and sentenced to ten years, but was paroled after one year.

He lost his left eye in an oil field accident in the mid-1920's, and used the $1800 settlement to buy his first airplane. In 1925, he first met his fellow Oklahoman, Will Rogers; Rogers needed to get to a rodeo, and Post was pleased to fly the famous humorist there. He became the personal pilot of F.C. Hall, a wealthy Oklahoma oilman, and had use of Hall's personal plane, an open cockpit Travel-Air biplane.

Later, Hall bought a Lockheed Vega, largely for Post's use, nicknamed "Winnie Mae" for the oilman's daughter. In 1930 Hall bought a later version of the Lockheed Vega, a model 5-C, again nicknamed "Winnie Mae." This later aircraft is the one most often seen in photographs of Wiley Post.

The Lockheed Vega was one of the most famous record-breaking airplanes of the early 1930s. The beautifully streamlined, high-wing, single-engine monoplane was designed by John Northrop and Gerrard Vultee, two aviation pioneers who later established their own aircraft companies. Although the Vega first flew in July, 1927, it was during the early 1930s that the plane established its reputation for rugged reliability and airworthiness.

It was designed as a small commuter airline aircraft, carrying six passengers and a crew of two. Lockheed built about 130 of them between 1927 and 1934.

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A full-size model of Post's "Winnie Mae" graces the foyer of the Oklahoma History Center.

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The Lockheed Vega in the livery of Continental Airlines

Specifications and performance data for the "Wasp" powered Lockheed 5-C "Vega":


length 27'8", wing span 41', height 8'6", wing area 275 sq. ft,
empty weight 2361 lbs., useful load 1672, payload 1012, gross wt. 4033 lbs.,
max. speed 170 MPH, cruise 140 MPH, landing 54 MPH, ceiling 20,000 ft.,
gas capacity 96 gal., oil 10 gal., range 725 miles.
Price for 5-C's picked up by customers at the factory in July 1928: $18,500.

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Post first achieved national prominence in 1930,when he won the National Air Race Derby, from Los Angeles to Chicago. The side of the "Winnie Mae's" fuselage was inscribed: "Los Angeles to Chicago 9 hrs. 9 min. 4 sec. Aug. 27, 1930." The "Winnie Mae" is now on display at The Oklahoma History Center.

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"Winnie Mae" on display at the National Air and Space museum

Post, instantly recognizable by the patch he wore over one eye, began his round the world flight on July 15 1933, flying nonstop to Berlin. After a brief rest, he flew on to the Soviet Union, where he made several stops before returning to North America, with stops in Alaska, Canada, and finally a triumphant landing at his starting point in New York.

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Two years earlier, Post had won fame when he successfully flew around the northern part of the Earth with aviator Harold Gatty. For this solo around-the-world flight in 1933, he flew a slightly greater distance--15,596 miles--in less time. For both flights, he used "Winnie Mae" equipped with a Sperry automatic pilot and a direction radio for Post's solo journey.

Always fascinated by the scientific challenges of flight, in 1934 he focused on high-altitude, long distance flight -- funded by Frank Phillips of the Phillips Petroleum Company.

Since the Winnie Mae's cabin could not be pressurized, he developed, with B.F. Goodrich Company, an early pressure suit. The suit was constructed of double-ply rubberised parachute cloth glued to a frame with pigskin gloves, rubber boots and an aluminium & plastic diver's helmet. It had arm and leg joints that permitted easy operation of the flight controls and also enabled walking to and from the aircraft.

The helmet had a removable faceplate that Post could seal when he reached a height of 17,000 feet, a liquid oxygen source breathing system, and could accommodate earphones and a throat microphone. The liquid oxygen was contained in double-walled vacuum bottles, and as the super-cold gas boiled off, it could be used for breathing and suit pressurization.

In his first flight using the pressure suit, Sept. 5, 1934, above Chicago, he reached 40,000 feet. In the super-charger equipped "Winnie Mae" and his home-made pressure suit, Post set unofficial altitude records (as high as 50,000 ft), discovering the jet stream in the process.

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Post in his home-made and self-designed high altitude pressure suit

In March 1935, Post flew from Burbank CA to Cleveland OH in the stratosphere using the jet stream. He took his famous five year-old single-engine Lockheed Vega 2,035 miles in 7 hours and 19 minutes with an average ground speed of 279 mph in a 179 MPH aircraft. At times, his ground speed exceeded 340 MPH. He attempted four more transcontinental stratospheric flights, all ending in mechanical failure, before retiring his beloved aircraft.

Post's pioneering accomplishments were the first major practical advance in pressurized flight. More incredible given the western Oklahoma school drop-out had precious little formal education, and no scientific training at all.

Final Flight

In August 1935, Post was attempting to fly across the North Pole to the USSR with Will Rogers, the greatest American humorist of all time, when both men were killed in a crash near Point Barrow, Alaska. An Inuit named Clare Okpeah saw the plane wreck and ran the fifteen miles to Barrow to report it.

When he described the two men to Army Sergeant Stanley Morgan, Morgan knew that it must be the two famous travellers. Morgan radioed the War Department, and led a recovery party to the site. The remains of both men then began the final journey back to Oklahoma.

Shortly after Post's death his widow sold the famed "Winnie Mae" to the Smithsonian.

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SoonerJack
7/22/2008, 07:52 AM
I was always fascinated with the Wiley Post story when I was a kid. Did not know he was not formally educated. Very interesting post.

BigRedJed
7/22/2008, 11:48 AM
Good stuff. He's buried just a few yards away from my grandparents (Jimminy's too, I think) in the Memorial Park Cemetary at Memorial and the Broadway Extension. There's a really interesting memorial there that was put in place a few years ago.

Homey didn't mention this part of the story, but the pressure suit that post invented was a direct forerunner of modern-day space suits, and is widely considered one of the most important early aviation advances that made space travel possible.

Also, much of his flying was done out of a hanger at the old airport that was located just northwest of Britton and N. May Avenue here in OKC. The hangar he used lasted until the last decade, when it was torn down by Jackie Cooper BMW and Lincoln, who shortly afterward abandoned that location as a dealership. The hangar was supposedly dismantled in a way that it could be reassembled elsewhere for posterity, but I haven't heard of any final resolution on that.

One point of clarification: Homey mentions correctly that the Winnie Mae is on display at the Smithsonian and that a model of it is at the History Center, but also mentioned "The 'Winnie Mae' is now on display at The Oklahoma History Center..." The first version is correct. The plane at the history center is a painstaking, PRECISE copy. The attention to detail is pretty amazing.

Something I learned about the plane recently is that it was built so that the landing gear could be dropped after takeoff for streamlining/fuel savings. It was then bellied in for landings (with a structurally reinforced fuselage), where mechanics would be waiting to repair the damage and put on a brand new set of gear. That is why there are multiple sets of Winnie Mae landing gear around the country in private collections or on display, some signed by Post. The disposable gear, conceptually, was the forerunner of today's retractable landing gear.

BigRedJed
7/22/2008, 11:51 AM
And, BTW, he obviously didn't drop the gear every time he flew. I'm sure it was only when he was challenging speed records. Talk about ballsy.

StoopTroup
7/22/2008, 12:03 PM
Crazy bastage.

Belly landings scare all of us and he did it when he wanted to do it.

Those were the days when you could patch it up and go on your way.

Okla-homey
7/22/2008, 12:49 PM
Crazy bastage.

Belly landings scare all of us and he did it when he wanted to do it.

Those were the days when you could patch it up and go on your way.

Chuch Yaeger had no landing gear on the X-1 either as I recall. Nor did the X-15.

The Nazi's bellied in their ME-163 "Komet" rocket powered fighter as well. The gear were literally on a cradle that dropped away on the runway when the plane got airborne. The only reason it was safe to belly it in was because the engine was off and all the liquid fuel had been consumed.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6654/me163komet1fak9.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=me163komet1fak9.jpg)

BigRedJed
7/22/2008, 01:24 PM
I remember that on the X planes, now that you mention it. Of course, our boy did it first!

Okla-homey
7/22/2008, 01:47 PM
I remember that on the X planes, now that you mention it. Of course, our boy did it first!

Retractible gear were probably feasible even when Wiley was doing his thang. The thing is, they add weight. Thus, going barefoot was the way to go for max endurance on those non-stop runs.

Wiley's pressure suit was something. That helmet appears to be made from a section of 12" steel pipe with a glass porthole for his face welded to a metallic mantlet of some sort. I bet it really got heavy and hurt on long flights.

Finally, one-eyed pilots are really at a disadvantage because they have no depth perception. It would be tough to know when to flare on landing. If you doubt it, close one eye and try to touch a pen tip with one finger (in one fluid motion) while the pen is held at arms length.

BigRedJed
7/22/2008, 01:51 PM
I just poked my good eye out. Thanks, Homey.

Okla-homey
7/22/2008, 01:55 PM
Wiley was a remarkable d00d indeed.

Jimminy Crimson
7/22/2008, 02:15 PM
Good stuff. He's buried just a few yards away from my grandparents (Jimminy's too, I think) in the Memorial Park Cemetary at Memorial and the Broadway Extension. There's a really interesting memorial there that was put in place a few years ago.

...

Also, much of his flying was done out of a hanger at the old airport that was located just northwest of Britton and N. May Avenue here in OKC. The hangar he used lasted until the last decade, when it was torn down by Jackie Cooper BMW and Lincoln, who shortly afterward abandoned that location as a dealership. The hangar was supposedly dismantled in a way that it could be reassembled elsewhere for posterity, but I haven't heard of any final resolution on that.

Correct!

Allowing the hangar to be destroyed is a shame. Should have been met with 'Gold Dome' type resistance. Sad, really.

StoopTroup
7/22/2008, 02:51 PM
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum (TASM) has some stuff about all of this.

If you haven't been out there...you should go.

The Planetarium is cool too.