Recently while shopping in an antique consignment shop near here, I came across a vendor who had several of these wooden display models. What got me interested was that there were a couple I really liked (this one being one of them) and the prices. The prices were under $100 for all of them which is well below retail for these. The models were in overall good condition with no cracks or major parts missing. This Douglas World Cruiser is my favorite of them all. Here is a little background and photos of the aircraft.
The Douglas World Cruiser originated from a plan by the United States Army Air Service in 1923 to make an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. After careful planning, the Army Air Service decided on using a modified Douglas DT-2 torpedo bomber to make the trip. The new aircraft, the Douglas World Cruiser, was chosen because it could carry a large quantity of fuel (up to 644 gallons) and the landing gear could be exchanged for floats and wheels as needed. The large biplane also had folding main wings for easier storage and was powered by the reliable Liberty V-12 engine. The Army Air Service ordered four production aircraft and enough spare parts to build two more aircraft. In addition, the Army Air Service order over a dozen spare Liberty V-12 engines. These engines, spare parts and fuel were sent ahead of the flight to planned stops along the way. During the flight, the United States Navy would provide navigational and mechanical support along the overwater portions of the flight. They could also provide rescue assistance if any pilots went down.
On April 1, 1924, four Douglas World Cruiser aircraft and their crews (named the Boston, Seattle, Chicago and New Orleans) took off from Seattle, Washington bound for Alaska to begin the flight. Early in the trip, the "Seattle" crashed in Alaska when the crew lost their way in a dense fog bank. The crew survived but the aircraft was destroyed. This complicated the journey as the "Seattle" was carrying the only qualified mechanic among the crews. The remaining three aircraft, led by the "Chicago", continued on the journey traveling through Japan, Korea, China and then to Southeast Asia. The flight then journeyed to the Middle East and reached Iraq by June.
The three aircraft continued on to Europe and made it to London. Soon the aircraft were on their way across the treacherous northern Atlantic. During this part of the trip, the "Boston" was forced down on the open ocean by mechanical trouble. Although a Navy cruiser reached the crippled aircraft, the ship was not large enough to hoist the aircraft aboard. The "Boston", damaged in the forced water landing, eventually capsized in rough seas and sank. The remaining two World Cruisers reached Iceland and Greenland, then continued on to Canada.
The flight, joined by the original prototype aircraft renamed the "Boston II", flew across the United States on a multi-city tour to the West Coast and received a hero's welcome. The flight arrived back in Seattle in September 1924. The flight had taken 175 days, over 370 hours of airborne flight time and covered over 27,000 miles. The crews had endured cold temperatures, exposure to the elements and numerous mechanical problems and forced landings. The two aircraft that completed the trip had undergone five engine changes each and had received two sets of replacement wings. The flight helped establish the future of commercial air travel, brought fame to the newly formed Douglas Aircraft Company and helped to establish the United States as a leader in the field of aviation. Today, the "Chicago" and "New Orleans" World Cruisers survive, the "Chicago" is in the National Air and Space Museum and the "New Orleans" is in storage for the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California.
The model is made of mahogany and features the Douglas World Cruiser in the configuration used when the aircraft had floats on it. The aircraft depicted is the "Chicago", the #2 aircraft and the one that is in the National Air and Space Museum today.
The model is listed as 1/32 scale in catalogs and has a wingspan of 18". The Douglas World Cruiser was a large airplane for its time. The markings are all correct on the model and the details are beautiful.
The Army Air Service World Flight logo is replicated beautifully on the model. This painting detail is just really nicely done.
Also nice on the model is the radiator detail and the exhaust pipe detail. One of the exhaust pipes was broken off on the model when I bought it, this was easily replaced with a small round metal rod cut to fit then painted to match the others. The rigging detail is excellent. My one complaint is that some of the model details such as the control surfaces and panel lines are painted on the model of being recessed like on plastic models.
The model comes with a nice display stand with a metal arm and solid base. This was a great model to find at a great price and is an aircraft not often modeled.
Finally, a shot of the real Douglas World Cruiser "Chicago" on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.
