Here, via this follow-up post (please see my earlier post, if you like), I wish to wrap up the remembrances of Wiley Post, one of the most colorful and fearless aviators that world would ever know. First, some explanation about the Title of my post. Triggered by the title, Around The World In Eight Days, of the account of aviator Wiley Post and navigator Harold Gatty's 1931 eight-day flight around the world, my mind naturally drifted back to the (other) fictional account of similar nature, Jules Verne's immortal classic, Around the World in Eighty Days. An abridged version of it, I'd coincidentally happened to reread just a couple of weeks ago...🙂...Obviously, as authors, Post and Gatty, were no accomplished novelist, poet, and playwright of the caliber of Jules Verne, but both literary works stand out as jewels of travel adventure, one fictional and one real, spaced apart by 60 years of transportation technology.

I did a bit of comparison of the around-the-world routes of Wiley Post's (later) solo flight of 1933, and that of Phileas Fogg's journey of 1872. Phileas Fogg took to the Rail, Steamer, Horse, and Elephant, rooted to the ground modes of the day, travelling "eastward" (not "westward") from London (directionality is highly significant here; because the gain of one extra day would eventually matter), then dipping southward through Egypt, India, Hong Kong, and then turning northward through Japan, crossing the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, onward on land, through my home city Chicago...🙂..., to New York, and finally across the Atlantic, back to London city. Wiley Post's solo flight, aboard Winnie Mae, however, took an almost straight path (also eastward) across the globe, from New York, first through Berlin and the (historic) city of Königsberg of my Post Title, then crossing the vast lands of Russia, onward to Fairbanks/Alaska, to be finally on the home stretch via Edmonton/Canada, back to New York city.

Post had equipped his a/c with the most advanced Sperry (gyroscopic) autopilot of the day. On the first leg of the trip, arriving in Berlin from New York, he set a new transatlantic record. However, due to malfunctioning autopilot, he was grounded for significant time in Berlin. He had planned to travel from Berlin into Russia, but as he neared Russia, he realized that he had left his Russian maps back in Berlin...uh-oh...Meanwhile, a worrisome oil leak to the autopilot was getting worse. So, Post decided to land at "Königsberg", the city of my subject line, for maps, oil, and much-needed rest. Königsberg is the historic German and Prussian name of the medieval city that is now Kaliningrad of Russia. Post would next travel from Königsberg direct to Moscow, Russia, thus continuing onward with his trip... 

5 years after Wiley Post's remarkable solo feat, in 1938, Howard Hughes and his crew, aided by more advanced radio and navigation gear, successfully circled the globe in a Lockheed Electra. Hughes was of the opinion, "No longer should ocean hopping be thought of as the province of daredevils..."...Well...Daredevil Wiley Post, the poverty-stricken, upstart barnstormer from rural Oklahoma, competed with Hughes, one of the richest and most influential people of the time, an important figure in aviation industry and future owner of Trans World Airlines. Against all odds, Wiley did beat Howard Hughes to become the first to fly around the world solo. And, this is what Howard Hughes had to say, on completion of his own around-the-world flight, signifying the respect he had for Post, "Wiley Post's flight remains the most remarkable flight in history. It can never be duplicated. He did it alone! … It's like pulling a rabbit out of a hat or sawing a woman in half..."

So, here we go, as I fly from Berlin (EDDB) to Königsberg, current day Kaliningrad (UMKK), not burdened by the desperate need for MAPs, nor looking for a (Sperry autopilot) mechanic, or much needed rest (I was well-rested last night...🙂...), but merely to traverse the same passage over Germany as Post had done on July 15 of 1933. This was a merely a 370 miles flight (but a most significant one) out of the total distance of 15,600 miles, he would fly to complete his mission. On July 22, when his airplane had finally emerged through the clouds above New York, at midnight, to the overwhelming reception of 50,000 spectators, one of the first to congratulate was none other than Harold Gatty, his former navigator.

Here, as my (iniBuilds) A320neo V2, with its modern navigational guidance...🙂... (Winnie Mae had required Autopilot repairs at each of the 3 cities, Berlin, Königsberg, and Moscow), flies me swiftly and flawlessly (was a perfect virtual flight indeed), eastward, from Berlin, across and over the Baltic Sea (see images, below) to the (old) Prussian city of Königsberg, I cannot but ruminate on the steadfast determination and incredible ambitions of (one-eyed) Wiley Post.

Please note, I've chosen, here, to fly this short distance in the colors of Germanwings, a livery I've been meaning to fly since a long time. Now, if you're an avid aviation fan, certain (unforgettable) aviation incidents, persist so vividly in your minds that they might give you nightmares for a very long time. At this moment, I cannot shake off the memories of Germanwings Flight 9525. That (A320) plane wore the exact same uniform as seen below, but my Reg. ID, here is different. Anyway, it's a rather attractive color scheme...I think...Hope you agree...

Thanks for viewing.

Short flight, but packed with nice views!

Fine picture set, seems you like to fly the A320 a lot..

cheers 😉

John and pmplayer:

Thanks for chiming in with the comments. Appreciated...!

[Yes, pmplayer, the iniBuilds A320, I like a lot, tons of nice liveries in Xbox and everything works so well for me with this plane. Great way to familiarize oneself with the EU LCC airlines and such ...]

Edited September 22, 20241 yr by P_7878

Superb set of captures! 

Very nice set of shots! 😉 

Interesting background story and great screenies, P_7878 !!

Adam, Will, Bernd: Thanks for taking the time to provide these additional comments...! Glad you liked...!

Cheers...!

Great story - and obviously a much easier flight than the historical one!

On 9/30/2024 at 12:09 AM, Stiller Water said:

Great story - and obviously a much easier flight than the historical one!

Thank you much, Gerold, for the comment, and, yes, wisely said ...🙂...