Leigh Wade

Round-the-World Flight

In 1924, Lt. Leigh Wade was one of the U.S. Army Air Service pilots to make the first flight around the world. The flight of Douglas World Cruisers with interchangeable pontoons and wheels circumnavigated the globe in 175 days. Wade eventually retired from the Air Force as a major general.

With the help of Lt. Gen. Brad Hosmer and Maj. Gen. Jack Huston, The Friends acquired the Wade Collection from Col. and Mrs. John Tkacik and from the estate of Cole Morrow.

The manuscript record consists of thirteen boxes and eighteen packages of materials organized into ten series: Correspondence, Photographs, Film, Video, Printed Materials, Personal Papers and Identification, Maps, Plaques and Certificates, Speeches and Interviews, Artifacts, Artwork, and Miscellaneous.

Leigh Wade later in his career as a Colonel

Selections

Douglas World Cruiser

January 9, 2021.

Douglas World Cruiser

World Cruiser being lifted out of the water at Sands Point, New York.

Douglas World Cruiser

Officers inspecting the World Cruiser at Crissy Field, San Francisco.

Douglas World Cruiser

Camels on the runway in Calcutta, India.

Douglas World Cruiser

Side view of the World Cruiser in Baghdad, Iraq, showing the World Flight emblem.

Leigh Wade

Leigh Wade being presented with the American flag.

Round-the-World Flight

Certificate of the World Flight at Borough, England, including a map showing the route of flight.