The Flying Carpet world flight began in 1930. A sturdy Stearman 3 CB bore that name. Pilot Moye W. Stephens and international author Richard Haliburton departed Grand Central Airport for an ‘airventure’. They returned 18 months later.
The Flying Carpet Pilot
Moye Stephens learned to fly at Rogers and Clover Airfields in Southern California. Experience flying with Howard Hughes, Allan Hancock, and others earned him a captain’s spot on Ford trimotors. He flew for Maddux, TAT, and T & WA airlines. Without a doubt, Moye proved to be an excellent pilot and navigator. The Flying Carpet world flight encountered severed conditions. This included flying over treacherous terrain and crossing vast deserts.
The Flying Carpet World Flight
Stephens’ biography, Flying Carpets, Flying Wings, is the first factual narrative of the world flight. Consequently, research proved to be an endless quest for information. The Richard Halliburton archives at Princeton University provided airplane logbooks. Moye’s son contributed Moye’s letters home and the detailed maps used on the flight. As a result, an incredible adventure came to light.
Two very different personalities managed to survive in the cramped quarters of the Stearman. One stood out as conservative. The other never wavered from being impetuous. Although a successful flight became the ultimate goal, delightful surprises intervened to enhance the journey. They flew princes and princesses, performed airshows for nobility, and visited headhunters in Borneo. Unquestionably, a chance encounter with aviatrix Elly Beinhorn blossomed into a romantic relationship. Moye fell for the German beauty. Despite their obvious feelings for each other, a future together seemed impossible. Their cultures were worlds apart.
The Flying Carpet Returns to Grand Central
In May 1932, the American Mail Line’s President McKinley took the Flying Carpet aboard. A month later, the aircraft touched down on Grand Central‘s tarmac. Moye logged 374 hours flying time over 34 countries. Most importantly, the Flying Carpet and crew returned home safely. Halliburton’s released a book about the flight the next year. Although a fun read, much is fabricated. Moye promoted Lockheed’s Electra. He also helped found Northrop Corporation for which he became a prototype test pilot. It should be noted that he flew the N1-M, Norhrop’s Flying Wing first mockup.