The longest over water flight to date, accomplished by the U.S. Army Air Service in 1927. Chief of Army Air Service, Major General Patrick, standing between Pilot, Lt. Lester J. Maitland, and Navigator, Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger in front of their Fokker C-2-3 trimotor airplane, named the Bird of Paradise. General Patrick is wishing them farewell as they are about to depart on their transoceanic flight from Oakland California to Honolulu, Hawaii. Animation of aircraft leaving Oakland Airport. Fokker C-2-3 in flight. Animation of the longest over water flight ever attempted, 2400 miles, Oakland to Honolulu.
Opening scene shows several aircraft and aircrews on an Airfield in Oakland, California, readying for the Dole Air Race to Hawaii. A modified Travel Air 5000 aircraft, NX869, named "Woolaroc," is seen in the near foreground. Behind it is another Travel Air 5000, named "Oklahoma." Next, the "Oklahoma" and the "Aloha"(NX914), a Breese-Wilde 5 Monoplane are seen with engines running and taxiing. The "Aloha" takes off and climbs sharply after gaining airspeed. Several Wickes-class destroyers are seen steaming underway. (Slate reports they patrol the course to be flown over the Pacific.) Scene shifts to wreckage of the "Angel of Los Angeles" a twin engine Bryant Monoplane, which crashed on a test flight at Montebello, California. (Pilot, Arthur V. Rogers, bailed out at the last minute but his parachute didn't fully open and he was killed.) Next is shown the wreckage of the "Pride of Los Angeles," an International CF-10 Triplane, after crashing into San Francisco Bay on August 11th. Pilots J. L. Giffin and Theodore S. Lundgren are seen stepping from the water, unhurt. A crane, on a barge, lifts the wreckage from the shallow water.
Fliers in the Dole Derby air race take off for Hawaii. The "City of Oakland," a Travel Air 5000 aircraft is seen being readied for flight. Pilot Ernie Smith and navigator Emory Bronte pose at the front of the aircraft, inspecting the engine and propeller. Closeup of the two. Next, a mechanic hand-cranks the engine to start it. Pilot, Smith climbs into the cockpit and closes its door. On July 14th, the aircraft is seen on takeoff roll toward and past the camera, which continues to track it through the takeoff. (The aircraft ran out of fuel and crash landed on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii on July 15th. Smith and Bronte were flown by Army aircraft to Wheeler field, the same day, where they were feted as the first civilians to fly across the Pacific.)
Officials load sacks of mail from a truck, into a Boeing model 40 airplane at an airport in California. The pilot stands by the airplane, wearing a seat-pack parachute. The fuselage of airplane has logo of the State of California painted on it. Several cameras on tripods stand beside the tail of the airplane. Formations of U.S. Army DH-4 airplanes in flight over California.
Chief of U.S. Army Air Service, Major General Patrick, stands between Navigator, Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger and Pilot, Lt. Lester J. Maitland as they are about to depart on their record-setting transpacific flight from California to Hawaii. Animation illustrates their route of flight from Oakland Airport to Honolulu,Hawaii, the longest flight ever attempted (2400 miles). Several views of their Fokker C-2 Trimotor aircraft called "Bird of Paradise,"in flight.