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1/29/12

Dornier Do X New York to Berlin


To introduce the Dornier Do X airliner to the potential United States market the Do X took off from Friedrichshafen, Germany on 3 November 1930 for a transatlantic test flight to New York.
The route took the Do X to the Netherlands, England, France, Spain, and Portugal.

The journey was interrupted at Lisbon on 29 November, when a tarpaulin made contact with a hot exhaust pipe and started a fire that consumed most of the port side wing.
After a stop in Lisbon harbor for six weeks while new parts were fabricated and the damage repaired, the flying boat continued. It flew along the Western coast of Africa and by 5 June 1931 had reached the Capverdian Islands.
From here it crossed the ocean to Natal in Brazil, where the crew were greeted as heroes by the local German émigré communities.

On November 5, 1930, the Do X took off on its highly acclaimed demonstration tour through Europe, on to the west coast of Africa and then to North America and the final destination New York. Here, the population gave the flying boat a rapturous welcome when it arrived on August 27, 1931.

The flight continued north to the United States, finally reaching New York on 27 August 1931, almost nine months after departing Friedrichshafen. The Do X and crew spent the next nine months there as its engines were overhauled, and thousands of sightseers made the trip to Glenn Curtiss Airport (now LaGuardia Airport) to tour the leviathan of the air.

After the completion of extensive maintenance work, the return flight from New York to Lake Müggelsee by Berlin took place between May 19 and May 24, 1932, with intermediate stops in Newfoundland, the Azores and Great Britain.

The airliner departed from New York on May 21, 1932 and flew via Newfoundland and the Azores to Müggelsee, Berlin. It arrived in Berlin on 24 May and was met by a cheering crowd of 200,000.

Technical data Dornier Do X

Power Plant:
12 Siemens Jupiter with 525 PS each
12 Curtiss Conqueror with 640 PS each

Performance:

Top speed: 210 km/h
Cruising speed: 175 km/h
Range: 2,300 km
Fuel: 23,300 l

Weight:
Empty Weight: 28,250 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 52,000 kg

Dimensions:
Length: 40.10 m
Height: 10.10 m
Wing span: 48 m
Wing area Principal wings: 450 qm
Auxiliary airfoil: 30,80 qm

Capacity:
Crew: 10-14 persons
Passengers: 66 persons

Source: Century-of-flight.net / Wikipedia

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