Old Glory (aircraft)

The Old Glory was a Fokker F.VIIa single-engined monoplane that was used in 1927 on an attempted transatlantic flight from Old Orchard Beach, Maine, United States to Rome, Italy.

The flight was sponsored by William Randolph Hearst to promote his newspaper the New York Daily Mirror.

[1] At 12:33 EST on 6 September 1927, the Old Glory departed from Old Orchard Beach for Rome; it was piloted by James DeWitt Hill, along with fellow aviator Lloyd W. Bertaud as radio operator, and New York Daily Mirror editor Philip Payne as a passenger.

The Old Glory was last sighted by the steamship California at 23:57 the same day, 350 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

[1] At 03:57 and 04:03, the aircraft sent out distress signals; the nearest ship was Transylvania, which triangulated the position from the two messages and altered course to the estimated location, 65 miles away.