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American Experience Season 2 Episode 1

The first around-the-world air race, sponsored by the Army Air Service to prove that the airplane had a commercial future, was the ultimate test of man and machine. Four pilots took off in single-engine, open-cockpit planes; 175 days later, two remaining pilots would land where they’d begun, in Seattle.

Episode Title: The Great Air Race of 1924

Air Date: 1989-10-03