Close
The page header's logo
Boeing Images 
Cart (0)
Login / Register
0
Selected 
Invert selection
Deselect all
Deselect all
 Click here to refresh results
 Click here to refresh results
Go to Login page
 Hide details
play button
Conceptually similar
Cloudster Assembly
Cloudster Assembly 
Douglas Cloudster on the Ground
Douglas Cloudster on the Ground 
Cloudster on Ground
Cloudster on Ground 
Douglas O-25A in Factory
Douglas O-25A in Factory 
Workers in Front of an Observation Biplane
Workers in Front of an Observation Biplane 
DC-6 Manufacturing
DC-6 Manufacturing 
Cloudster on Tarmac
Cloudster on Tarmac 
Man on the Tail of a DC-7 in the Factory
Man on the Tail of a DC-7 in the Factory 
XB-19 Behemoth in Factory
XB-19 Behemoth in Factory 
Douglas Cloudster on Ground
Douglas Cloudster on Ground 
Women Covering the Douglas World Cruiser Fuselage
Women Covering the Douglas World Cruiser Fuselage 
Douglas Santa Monica "Rosies" on top of Fuselage
Douglas Santa Monica "Rosies" on top of Fuselage 
Douglas O-2 Framework
Douglas O-2 Framework 
Children with Cloudster
Children with Cloudster 
Cloudster C-1 on Ground
Cloudster C-1 on Ground 
Douglas O-2C Observation Plane
Douglas O-2C Observation Plane 
Donald W. Douglas Sr with the Cloudster II
Donald W. Douglas Sr with the Cloudster II 
Lunch Time at the Douglas Aircraft Santa Monica Plant
Lunch Time at the Douglas Aircraft Santa Monica Plant 
Employees in Front of Original Boeing Main Office Building
Employees in Front of Original Boeing Main Office Building 
Number 301 DC-2 on Factory Floor
Number 301 DC-2 on Factory Floor 
Action button
Similar tones
similar-image
similar-image
similar-image
similar-image
similar-image
View images with similar tones
Action button

Drafting the Cloudster

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. 
 Add to lightbox
 Add to cart
Unique identifier BI2534 
Boeing ID sm12994 
Type Image 
Size 5952px × 4539px   25MB 
License type RM 
Keywords
1920s
adults
airplanes
biplanes
day
engineers
ground shots
half-length views
interiors
male
occupations and work
office workers
offices
photos
three people
three-quarter length views
vintage / retro
working together
Restrictions