Russell Boardman: Difference between revisions
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'''Russell Boardman''' was an early American aviation pioneer who, along with [[John Polando]], flew from [[Floyd Bennett Field]] to [[Istanbul, Turkey]] in 1931 to set an aviation record |
'''Russell Boardman''' was an early American aviation pioneer who, along with [[John Polando]], flew from [[Floyd Bennett Field]] to [[Istanbul, Turkey]] in 1931 to set an aviation record for the longest continuous distance flown without refueling. Before this achievement, he was also a stunt pilot for the film [[Hell's Angels (film)|Hell's Angels]]. |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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Revision as of 08:52, 21 April 2016
Russell Boardman was an early American aviation pioneer who, along with John Polando, flew from Floyd Bennett Field to Istanbul, Turkey in 1931 to set an aviation record for the longest continuous distance flown without refueling. Before this achievement, he was also a stunt pilot for the film Hell's Angels.
Biography
Early life
Born in 1898 on a farm in Connecticut, Boardman flew as a stunt pilot for the Howard Hughes film Hell's Angels. He met John Polando at a "Wall of Death" motorcycle event in Revere where Boardman was a rider. Polanco decided that Boardman would make a good co-pilot due to his aviation maintenance skills, and the two teamed up and began to pursue a dream of breaking a world record.[1]
Record attempt
The two men trained at Hyannis Airport before their trip.[2]
The record was set in a Bellanca CH-300 series aircraft occurred on July 28–30, 1931, when Polando and Boardman flew from Floyd Bennett Field to Istanbul, Turkey aboard an earlier model of the Wright R-975-powered CH-300, a Bellanca "Special J-300". The plane was a high-wing monoplane named Cape Cod, registration NR761W, making it safely to Istanbul nonstop in 49:20 hours, establishing a distance record of 5,011.8 miles (8,065.7 km), the first known nonstop record flight in aviation history whose distance surpassed either English (5,000 mi) or metric (8,000 km) mark.[2][3][4][5]
Along the way, the pilots dropped newspapers at lighthouses in Newfoundland, him and Boardman flew over Ireland, Paris, and Munich. They also circled the Swiss Alps at night to avoid crashing into them. While it was originally planned for them to fly to Moscow, it was determined that Istanbul would be easier, because it would allow for them to still break the record.[1]
Following the landing of their aircraft in Istanbul, they were greeted with great fanfare.[1]
Death and legacy
Boardman died on July 2, 1932 as a result of injuries sustained when his Gee Bee Model R crashed upon landing. At the time of the crash, he was competing in the Bendix Trophy Race.[6]
In 1981, the airfield at Barnstable Municipal Airport was later renamed Boardman/Polando Field to recognize their accomplishment.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Roscoe, Lee (5 August 2011). "When 'Cape Cod' flew to Istanbul". The Barnstable Patriot. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ a b c Kline, Stuard (17 May 2001). "John Polando". www.earlyaviators.com. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ "'Cape Cod's' Success Climaxes 5 Years [of] Bellanca Records". The Sunday Morning Star, Wilmington, DE. August 2, 1931. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Polando, Johnnie (2000). Wings Over Istanbul: The Life and Flights of a Pioneer Aviator. Portsmouth, NH: P.E. Randall Publisher. ISBN 0914339842.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Frattasio, Marc (2013). NAS Squantum: The First Naval Air Reserve Base. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781304662491. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ^ Hollway, Don. "DOOLITTLE TAMES THE GEE BEE: The Story of the 1932 National Air Races, by Don Hollway". www.donhollway.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.