Ping Pong flight

The Ping Pong flight was the first round-trip, transatlantic flight completed in 1936.  Dick Merrill, served as pilot.  Millionaire singer Harry Richman, famous for Puttin’ On the Ritz, financed the flight.  He purchased a Vultee V-1A which he and Merrill extensively modified.  Previously, the plane set several flight records. Jimmy Doolittle held a 1935 transcontinental record in it.  Leland Andrews used it to set a long-distance speed record between Los Angeles and Mexico City.

Ping Pong Modifications

Modifications to the Vultee V-1A included extra fuel tanks, a 1,000 hp Wright Cyclone engine, and constant-speed props.  A Hooven Radio Direction Finder provided additional navigation equipment.  Merrill filled the empty spaces in the wing and fuselage with 41,000 ping pong balls.  Without a doubt, he hoped the balls added a degree of buoyancy in case the airplane was forced down in the ocean.

The Ping Pong Flight

Loaded with fuel and ping pong balls, Merrill and Richman departed for London on September 2, 1936. Good weather prevailed until they encountered stormy skies 600 miles off the coast of England.  To avoid the storm, they landed in Llandeilo, Wales, 175 miles west of London. After calculating their time crossing the Atlantic, they realized they set a new record.  Their total flight time stood at 18 hours and 36 minutes.

Lady Peace

Reaching London the next day, Richman christened the Vultee Lady Peace.  Subsequently, they departed for America on September 14 from Southampton. The flight made it as far as Newfoundland’s Musgrave Harbor.  As a result of Richman dumping 500 gallons of fuel when encountering strong headwinds, the only option proved to be a forced landing.  The Vultee suffered minor damage when it settled into a soft bog.   With repairs complete and a full load of fuel, the Lady Peace touched down in New York a week later.

The round-trip flight cost Richman $360,000.  Aviation history notes the transatlantic journey as the Ping Pong Flight. To recoup his investment, Richman sold autographed ping pong balls from the flight for years after.