Cloudster (1920-1921): The Cloudster was the first Douglas airplane and the first aircraft to lift a useful load equal to its own weight. Donald W. Douglas, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former chief engineer for Glenn L, Martin, designed the Cloudster for David R. Davis, a wealthy young sportsman and aviation enthusiast. Davis wanted to be the first to cross the United States non-stop and provided $40,000 to establish the Davis Douglas Company. In July 1920 Douglas along with six employees began construction of the plane in a loft above a Los Angeles lumber mill. The Cloudster had a 56-foot wingspan and was powered by 400-horsepower Liberty engine. It made its first flight on February 24, 1921. On March 19, it broke the Pacific Coast altitude record by climbing to 19,160 feet. On June 27, it started out on its quest to fly across the country. After flying 785 miles in eight hours and 45 minutes, the engine quit and the plane was forced to land at El Paso, Texas. Returned to Los Angeles, it was about to take off on another attempt when two Army pilots in a Fokker monoplane made the first successful flight across the U.S. After that, Davis lost interest and left the company. Nevertheless, the fame of the Cloudster was now widespread. With the experience gained, Douglas entered and won a competition to build three torpedo planes for the U.S. Navy. More contracts followed and the young organization, now the Douglas Company, expanded. The Cloudster was later rebuilt as an airliner and was sold in 1925 to Claude Ryan. With the ability to carry 12 passengers, it became the flagship of Ryan's San Diego-to-Los Angeles airline, one of the first scheduled passenger lines in the country. It ended its career making chartered flights between Los Angeles and Mexico's Baja peninsula. In 1926 the Cloudster made a forced landing on a beach and was destroyed.