Around the World in 94 Hours

Stephen Pope

Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 09:14 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The article highlights the historic 1949 nonstop global circumnavigation by the B-50 Superfortress *Lucky Lady II*, a feat achieved through aerial refueling and its powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engines.
The author reveals a personal connection to this event, as *Lucky Lady II*'s commander, Capt. James Gallagher, was a relative, and also mentions other family members with notable aviation records.
Inspired by the discovery that *Lucky Lady II* is housed at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, the author plans an ambitious cross-country aviation history trip with his son to visit various significant sites, ending with the famous bomber.

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I’m going to Chino, California. I’m not sure when, but I’m going. Here’s why.

Exactly 65 years ago to the minute, a Boeing B-50 Superfortress named Lucky Lady II was rumbling high over the Mediterranean on an epic four-day journey, its four massive Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines supplying a combined 12,000 horsepower as the bomber’s crew attempted to set a record that ranks right up there with the feats of Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. Commanded by U.S. Air Force Capt. James Gallagher, Lucky Lady II became the first airplane to circumnavigate the globe nonstop – thanks to the then-new concept of aerial refueling and those reliable Wasp Major radials.