The 1924 flight around the world by the U.S. Army Air Service was the first successful effort to circle the globe by air, and it showed that the United States could compete with the European air powers. The story of the flight includes high drama and grand adventure and interesting personalities. Four planes started out, each named for an American city (Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, and Seattle), and carried a pilot and a mechanic. Only two planes survived the entire trip, though no crew members were lost. America was not alone in its endeavor to be the first: Great Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, and Argentina were desperately trying to beat the American crew.The Chicago is in the national collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. where it is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. The New Orleans belongs to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, though currently on loan to the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California. The wreckage of the Seattle was retrieved and is part of the collection of the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage. This book is based on one of the pilot`s journals as well as other first-hand accounts.To be published in conjunction with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.