On 4th June 1927 this aircraft took off from America to attempt the first non-stop flight from New York to Berlin with a passenger but landed some 100 miles short of its destination, landing in a field at Eisleben, Germany. The pilot was Clarence Chamberlin and the passenger Charles Levine. In this picture it is seen to be carrying 'New York>Berlin Cottbus' but other markings carried are obscured by the interested persons viewing the aircraft. Note the board advertising 'Joy-Flying Daily, Croydon Aerodrome, 10/- & 21/-' (i.e. 50p & £1.10 in today's money!).

Registered 24th June 1927. Crashed at Sevenoaks, Kent 22nd August 1927 and cancelled 5th September 1927.

Registered 27th March 1926. Later became OO-AHZ. Cancelled 12th February 1932 as WFU.

The deadliness of the Dole Air Race was caused not only by the dangers of flying to Hawaii, but also by the participation of hurriedly built, barely tested aircraft. Most were conventional enough in configuration, but the M-1 by Leland Bryant, an architect, was a push-pull with two Bristol Lucifer engines and side-by-side seating by the looks of it. It was built here at Vail Field near LA - note the Douglas M-2 mailplane of Western Air Express. The photo is thought to have been taken in July 1927. On 12 August, four days before the postponed start of the race, the M-1, named Angel of Los Angeles, crashed on a test flight. The British pilot, Arthur Rogers, was killed. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum