In September 1942, he became the first person to fly a fighter aircraft, a modified Bell P-39 coast to coast over the United States without stopping. In September of 1942, he took off from Washington, DC and landed in San Francisco 11 hours later. The aircraft was modified from the original fuel capacity of 120 gallons to carry 547 gallons of aviation fuel. An extra fuel tank was installed in the nose compartment and a large 370 gallon belly tank.

You are here: Home / Uncategorized / In September 1942, he became the first person to fly a fighter aircraft, a modified Bell P-39 coast to coast over the United States without stopping. In September of 1942, he took off from Washington, DC and landed in San Francisco 11 hours later. The aircraft was modified from the original fuel capacity of 120 gallons to carry 547 gallons of aviation fuel. An extra fuel tank was installed in the nose compartment and a large 370 gallon belly tank.