Around the World in Thunder Canoes - Part one of two

On Dec. 20, 2014, pilot Bob Dempster grasped the wooden steering wheel of his vintage aircraft, went through his pre-flight run up, and confirmed his take-off position with the tower at Boeing Field in Seattle. It was one of those grAy, wet days that local pilots have come to accept as part of general aviation in the northwest, but Dempster had not filed a flight plan for a distant landing. Instead, as hundreds of faithful volunteers and aviation enthusiasts cheered, he rose no more than a few feet off the runway and landed for what was later described as “a hop.” Returning with great pride and waving American flags, you would have guessed that Dempster had flown around the world. In fact, this “hop” was the first test of airworthiness for Dempster’s replica of a Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) he named the “Seattle II” and with which he hopes to fulfill a 10-year goal. In 2016 (And with some exceptions due to political unrest), Dempster intends to replicate the 26,000-mile journey of America’s 1924 original World Flight Project.

Dempster and his wife Diane head the volunteers who form the Seattle World Cruiser Association, now based at Arlington Municipal Airport (where future test flights will take place) as well as at Renton Airport, both in Washington. In order to obtain a special airworthiness certificate for the Seattle IIfrom the FAA, Dempster and his crew made structural changes for strength to the frame, also adding modern avionics and other safety elements while retaining the open-cockpit design. The Seattle IIlooks like the original Seattle I except for an added northwest coast Native American name painted on the fuselage. The name translates to “Thunder Canoe.”

Reclaiming A Legacy

By the end of WWI, airplanes had advanced from general aviation and exhibition flying to practical purposes. Nevertheless, American aircraft design was uninspired. Historian Carroll Glines observed that “American military aviation had been neglected. There was no national program of research and development in either commercial or military aviation. Few new models of aircraft were being produced and other countries had vowed to take aviation leadership away from the United States.”

In order to regain global recognition for American aviation, there had to be an undisputed and unique accomplishment of combined technology and airmanship. The U.S. had to do something that had never been done before — a flight around the world. The attempt would be fraught with logistic unknowns and challenges to the human body and spirit, yet it was within grasp. Between March and July of 1924, England, the U.S., Portugal, France, Argentina and Italy sent their best pilots and mechanics on a race to be the first to circumnavigate the globe.

During 1923, the chief of the U.S. Air Service, Maj. Gen. Mason Patrick, and Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell obtained War Department financing for the project known as World Flight. Success depended upon four identical and specially-built aircraft, the finest crew available, and essential cooperation from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Within six months of approval, fuel and maintenance stations were established along the proposed route. Medical aid and other assistance were in place at 52 foreign countries to enable the Americans’ attempt to fly westward around the world. It was to be a team effort with four planes together at all times en route.

The Original Douglas World Cruisers

Donald W. Douglas was selected to design an aircraft with takeoff and landing gear that alternated between wheels and pontoons. A prototype accommodating a two-man crew was built at the Douglas plant in California.

The biplane stood seven feet off the ground, was more than 35 feet long, and had wings which were 50 feet across. The fuselage formed of steel tubing was divided into three sections so that partial damage did not mean total damage. Wings, which could be folded back in storage, were made of wood that could be repaired using hand tools almost anywhere on earth. A 450-gallon fuel tank enabled the aircraft to fly non-stop for 18 hours. A 420 hp Liberty engine powered the plane to heights over land at 10,000 feet and over the sea at 7,000 feet. Airborne, both gasoline and oil could be manually pumped in case of system failures. Built for survival, little consideration was given to crew comfort. The open cockpit offered no protection from the elements. Communication with other aircraft or ground personnel was accomplished with flashing lights or police whistles.

Adapting the 2015 Seattle II

Every aspect of the Seattle II’s construction has been overseen by Bob and Diane Dempster. None have been more symbolically “hands on” than the walnut replica of the pilot’s steering wheel that Bob carved. Volunteers constructed wood spars and ribs, individually signed by the builder. Only an altimeter and a 1924 cockpit switch for the engine are vintage. Modern changes and/or additions include: a tail wheel replacing the tail skid, brakes added to the main landing gear and Edo metal floats with rudders, which replace the 1924 wood type. The original DWCs were covered with cotton.

“The fabric sagged when it was wet and distorted the airfoil, as well as adding a lot of weight,” says Dempster. “The original paints were highly flammable. To avoid potential safety problems, we used nonflammable material and paint.” The Seattle IIwill be powered by a modern engine with approximately the same horsepower as that of the original Libertys.”

The 1924 World Flight Crew

The crew for each aircraft consisted of a pilot and a mechanic. General Patrick selected his pilots among many in his Air Service during late 1923. By Christmas, four pilots and alternates were at Langley Field in Virginia for a six-week course that included practical knowledge for survival in the air and among foreign cultures. Of great importance were weather forecasting, aerial navigation, and “enough medical and surgical knowledge to pull them out of minor mishaps.”

Each pilot was allowed to choose his mechanic for the flight that would make them partners for survival during the months ahead. By the end of February, all of the pilots and mechanics were at the Douglas plant in Santa Monica, CA, observing and often participating in the construction of the aircraft now known as the DWC. Including a spare, five identical aircraft were bolted together, painted, varnished and repeatedly test flown. Publicity had created global interest in World Flight with international cooperation assured.

On the official starting date of April 5, 1924, at Sand Point, Seattle, the world was introduced to the men and the aircraft upon which America had placed its faith:

• DWC No. 1 “Seattle” (pilot Major Frederick L. Martin and mechanic Sergeant Alva Harvey)

• DWC No. 2 “Chicago” (pilot Lt. Lowell H. Smith and mechanic Lt. Leslie Arnold*)

• DWC No. 3 “Boston” (pilot Lt. Leigh Wade and mechanic Sergeant Henry Ogden)

• DWC No. 4 “New Orleans” (pilot Lt. Erik H. Nelson and mechanic Lt. John “Jack” Harding)

*Technical Sergeant Arthur Turner, mechanic, was originally assigned with Smith in the “Chicago” but he became ill before the flight and was replaced by Arnold, who had been an alternate pilot. The spare DWC was ultimately named the “Boston II.”

The hopeful take-off at Sand Point was an immediate disaster for the Seattle, delaying the departure of the entire project and a foreshadowing of dangers ahead. 

Part II of II:  Around the World in Thunder Canoes – The Mechanics and the Wobble Pump

Giacinta Bradley Koontz is an aviation historian, magazine columnist and author who has received the DAR History Medal and honorable mention from the New York Book Festival. She has appeared on the History Channel and in PBS documentaries. For more information, visit www.GiaBKoontz.com.