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On October 5, 1931, Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon II landed near Wenatchee, Washington, after flying nonstop from Japan in their Bellanca Skyrocket, Miss Veedol. The National Park Service describes it as the first successful nonstop Pacific crossing from Japan to the United States. Their flight was an attempt to win a $25,000 prize offered by the Asahi Shimbun.
Who made the first nonstop flight across the Pacific?
American pilots Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon II made the crossing in Miss Veedol, a Bellanca Skyrocket. Their flight connected Sabishiro Beach, Japan, with Fancher Field near Wenatchee, Washington. The National Park Service says eight other aviators had attempted the Japan-to-U.S. crossing and failed to complete it.
The flight grew out of a different record attempt. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s profile of Pangborn, the two men set out from Roosevelt Field, New York, in July 1931, hoping to break the around-the-world record. Weather and field conditions delayed them in Japan, where they turned to the trans-Pacific prize instead. The Smithsonian notes that its Wall of Honor profiles are provided by honorees or donors and may not all be validated by the museum.
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How did they prepare Miss Veedol for the crossing?
The plane had to carry enough fuel for the long flight while shedding weight and drag. The Smithsonian profile describes modifications including a 50-gallon fuel tank, fuselage reinforcement for landing, and a mechanism to release the landing gear. The National Park Service says the pilots jettisoned the gear over the ocean before landing.
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They came down on the aircraft’s belly at Fancher Field. The National Park Service reports that the landing was smooth and that the only reported damage was a bent propeller, now held by the North Central Washington Museum.
What was the $25,000 prize?
The National Park Service identifies the sponsor as the Asahi Shimbun and says its $25,000 prize was for the first nonstop flight from Japan to the United States. The park’s Floyd Bennett Field account calls the paper Tokyo Asahi. It says Pangborn and Herndon were arrested in Japan after flying over and photographing military installations, then questioned, tried, and fined. They were eventually permitted one takeoff attempt; if it failed, they would have to leave Japan by ship. A newspaper representative was waiting in Wenatchee with the prize check.
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When did the flight take place, and how long was it?
The landing date is October 5, 1931. Sources differ on the precise departure date and elapsed time, so a figure should be attributed rather than treated as settled. The National Park Service’s Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Site gives October 4 as the departure date, a distance of 4,558 miles, and a duration of 41 hours and 34 minutes.
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|---|---|---|
| National Park Service, Pangborn-Herndon Memorial Site | Departure October 4; arrival October 5, 1931 | 41 hours, 34 minutes; 4,558 miles |
| Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Clyde Edward Pangborn profile | October 4–5, 1931 | 41 hours, 13 minutes |
| The Museum of Flight Archives, Clyde Pangborn Pilot Collection | Landed a few minutes after 7 a.m. on October 5 | 41 hours, 15 minutes after takeoff |
| National Park Service, General History of Floyd Bennett Field | Flight across the Pacific, October 1931 | About 41 hours; 4,558 miles |
| National Park Service, Floyd Bennett Field Historic Flights | Chronology gives October 3 as departure and elsewhere inconsistently lists October 17 as the landing | Not stated |
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics timeline dates the crossing to October 4–5, 1931, and identifies the aircraft as a Bellanca CH-400. The National Park Service uses “Bellanca Skyrocket” for Miss Veedol. These accounts agree on the essential record: the flight began in early October, crossed nonstop from Japan to Washington state, and ended on October 5 near Wenatchee.
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Why did the landing gear come off?
Releasing the landing gear reduced the aircraft’s weight and drag for the long crossing. Since the plane then had no wheels for a conventional landing, Pangborn and Herndon brought it down on its belly. The National Park Service’s account describes the outcome as a successful landing with only the bent propeller reported as damage.
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