Russell Boardman (1898–July 1, 1933) was an early American aviation pioneer who, along with

John Polando John Polando (1901–1985) was an early American aviation pioneer who, along with Russell Boardman, flew from Floyd Bennett Field to Istanbul in 1931 to set an aviation record for the longest continuous distance flown without refueling. Following ...

, flew from Floyd Bennett Field to Istanbul, Turkey in 1931 to set an

aviation record This article gives yearly aviation records under 5 headings: airspeed, Range (aircraft), range, Ceiling (aeronautics), ceiling, gross take-off weight, and engine power. References Citations Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill (ed.): ''Chronicle of ...

for the longest continuous distance flown without refueling. Before this achievement, he was also a stunt pilot for the film Hell's Angels.

Biography

Early life

Born in 1898 on a farm in Connecticut, Boardman flew as a stunt pilot for the Howard Hughes film '' Hell's Angels''. He met

at a "Wall of Death" motorcycle event in

Revere Revere may refer to: Brands and companies *Revere Ware, a U.S. cookware brand owned by World Kitchen * Revere Camera Company, American designer of cameras and tape recorders *Revere Copper Company * ReVere, a car company recognised by the Classic ...

where Boardman was a rider. Polando decided that Boardman would make a good co-pilot due to his aviation maintenance skills, and the two teamed up and began to pursue a dream of breaking a world record.

Record attempt

The two men trained at

Hyannis Airport Cape Cod Gateway Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field and formerly known as Barnstable Municipal Airport, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachus ...

in preparation for their trip to Istanbul. The attempt at the record took place between July 28 and 30, 1931. Boardman and

took off from Floyd Bennett Field in the aircraft '' Cape Cod''. Eighteen minutes later, Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. took off from Floyd Bennett in an unsuccessful attempt to circumnavigate the world. Boardman and Polando then flew over

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and dropped the New York Times at lighthouses in the province. Along the way, they also flew over Ireland, Paris, and Munich. They also circled the

Swiss Alps The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...

at night to avoid crashing into them. While it was originally planned for them to fly to Moscow, it was determined that Istanbul would be easier, because it would allow for them to still break the record. The distance of , over a total of forty nine hours and twenty minutes helped to establish a distance record, which was the first known non-stop flight whose distance surpassed either English (5,000 mi) or metric (8,000 km) mark. Following the landing of their aircraft in Istanbul, they were greeted with great fanfare.

Death and legacy

Boardman died on July 1, 1933, as a result of injuries sustained when his Gee Bee Model R crashed upon take-off following a fuel stop at Indianapolis. At the time of the crash, he was competing for the Bendix Trophy. In 1981, the airfield at Barnstable Municipal Airport was renamed Boardman/Polando Field to recognize their accomplishment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, Russell 1898 births 1932 deaths Flight distance record holders Aviators from Connecticut American aviation record holders