2-840-039 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Single engine, two seat, high wing, monoplane, yellow and red, first light aircraft to fly around the world. From August 9 to December 10, 1947, Clifford Evans and George Truman circled the globe in their Piper Super Cruisers, covering 35,897 kilometers (22,436 miles), the first time light personal aircraft accomplished such a feat. Evans flew the City of Washington while Truman flew the City of The Angels, now at the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The PA-12 was a more powerful J-5 Cruiser, with an electric starter, navigation lights, and a cabin heater. For the flight, Piper Aircraft arranged for second-hand planes and extra fuel tanks while radio and navigation equipment were also donated. Evans built a drift meter for each aircraft. Flags of each nation they visited were hand-painted on the fuselages' left sides and 53 of 55 city stops on the right sides.