From The Archives: 80 Years Ago In Aviation Week

On July 20, 1944, in the midst of World War II, the U.S. War Department announced that a Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft had made the first nonstop flight between London and Washington, covering 3,800 mi (6,115 km) in 18 hr. McDonnell Aircraft Corp., a five-year-old military contractor that supplied the C-54’s anti-drag ring cowls and wing leading-edge sections, placed an ad in our December 1, 1944, edition to commemorate the feat. 

“Even in these days of globe-girding air operations, that’s news,” proclaimed the ad. 

“But after victory, such flights connecting the capitals and great cities of the world will become merely a matter of routine.” 

The ad also hinted at McDonnell’s ongoing development of the FH-1 Phantom jet fighter, which would make its first flight on Jan. 26, 1945, and go on to become the first U.S. jet to take off from and land on an aircraft carrier. 

“One day soon, when restrictions can be lifted, we hope to tell you about war planes of our own design and manufacture,” the company said. McDonnell and Douglas merged into McDonnel Douglas in 1967.

See the cover of the December 1, 1944 issue of Aviation.

See the ad on page 34.

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