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 Today is the 58th anniversary of the landing of Lucky Lady II, the first airplane to fly non-stop around the world. On March 2, 1949, U.S. Air Force (USAF) Capt. James G. Gallagher and his 13-man crew landed their piston-powered B-50 bomber at Carswell Air Force Base (AFB) in Fort Worth, Texas. The 94-hour, 1-minute flight required four air-to-air refuelings (AAR) from tankers based at Lajes Field in the Azores, Dhahran Field in Saudi Arabia, Clark Field in the Philippines, and Rogers Field in Hawaii. Through turbulence, bad weather, and mechanical failure, the crew of the Lucky II mastered a new cable-and-hose refueling system from the Boeing Aircraft Company. Even more importantly, the Air Force demonstrated that vast distances were not an obstacle for its bomber-based nuclear arsenal, the Strategic Air Command (SAC).
Lucky Lady II took off from Carswell AFB on February 26, 1949. Originally designated as the backup aircraft on a two-plane mission, the bomber took center-stage when the primary aircraft, the Global Queen, experienced engine problems and was forced to land in the Azores. The B-50's four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines provided 59% more power than those used by its predecessor, the B-29D; however, engine malfunctions plagued both models. In December of 1945, the USAF had renamed the B-29D to B-50 and added new engines, larger flaps, a higher vertical tail, a hydraulic rudder boost, nose wheel steering, and a lighter grade of aluminum. The B-50's wings and empennage could be thermally de-iced, and a new electrical device removed ice from the pilot's windows. After Boeing delivered the first B-50 to SAC in 1948, cracking of the metal skin on the trailing edge of the wings and flaps required extensive modifications. Even into 1949, problems included fuel tank overflows, leaking fuel check valves, and generator defects.
Lucky Lady II was neither the first airplane to fly around the world nor the aircraft that spent the most hours aloft. Nevertheless, the success of her Cold War mission was duly noted by the USAF. When the Lucky Lady II landed at 9:22 AM on March 2, 1949, the assembled dignitaries included SAC commander Curtis LeMay, Air Force Secretary Stuart Symington, and Chief of Staff Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenburg. Capt. James G. Gallagher and his 13-man crew were each awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Together, they later received the MacKay Trophy, given annually by the Air Force for the most meritorious flight of the year.
Resources:
http://www.afa.org/magazine/march1999/0399luckylady.asp
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Carswell_AFB.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-50.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling
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