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 MIT 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 began construction of the plane. The Cloudster had a 56-foot wingspan and a 400-horsepower Liberty engine. It made its first flight on Feb. 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.