Bell 206 LongRanger II Spirit of Texas

In this aircraft, H. Ross Perot Jr. and J. Coburn completed the first round-the-world flight by helicopter. They departed Dallas, Texas, on September 1, 1982, and returned 29 days later after flying over 26 countries. They flew an average of eight and a half hours a day, refueled 56 times, and encountered no major mechanical problems along the way.

Powered by an Allison 250-C28B turbine engine, the LongRanger is a typical helicopter built for business and utility use. The Spirit of Texas was modified for its round-the-world trip. Nonessential items were removed and an extra fuel tank was added, along with special safety, communication, and navigation equipment. The aircraft was painted bright colors to enhance its visibility.

Gift of Petrus Operating Company, Inc.

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Bud Light Spirit of Freedom

Steve Fossett, a Chicago-based adventurer, launched the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom balloon from Northam , Australia , on June 19, 2002 . Fourteen days and 19 hours later, on July 4, he landed in Queensland , Australia , to become the first person to make a solo flight around the world in a balloon. During the trip he traveled 32,963 kilometers (20,385 miles), reached speeds of up to 322 kilometers (204 miles) per hour, and flew as high as 10,580 meters (34,700 feet).

The flight was Fossett's sixth solo attempt since 1996 to achieve this extraordinarily difficult goal. On one of those flights, in August 1998, he plunged 8,900 meters (29,192 feet) into the Coral Sea when his balloon ruptured in a thunderstorm. He was rescued after 23 hours in a life raft.

Gondola gift of Steve Fossett

More information: Bud Light Spirit of Freedom Gondola

Curtiss R3C-2 Racer

On October 25, 1925, U.S. Army Lt. James H. Doolittle flew the Curtiss R3C-2 to victory in the Schneider Trophy Race with an average speed of 374 km/h (232.17 mph). The next day he flew the R3C-2 over a straight course at a world record speed of 395 km/h (245.7 mph). In the Schneider Trophy Race of November 13, 1926, this same airplane piloted by Lt. Christian F. Schilt, USMC, and powered by an improved engine, won second place with an average speed of 372 km/h (231.4 mph).

More Information: Curtis R3C-1

Douglas World Cruiser "Chicago"

The Douglas World Cruiser "Chicago" was one of two aircraft to make the first flight around the world. In addition to the prototype, the Army built four of these Douglas airplanes for this specific purpose. Only the Chicago and the New Orleans were destined to survive the effort.

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Explorer II Gondola

Launched on Nov. 11, 1935, near Rapid City, SD, Explorer II carried two aeronauts and an assortment of instruments to a world-record altitude of 22,066 meters (72,395 feet).

Explorer was the brainchild of Capt. Albert W. Stevens, chief of the Army Air Corps' photography laboratory at Wright Field, Ohio. With funding from the National Geographic Society, he attempted a world altitude-record flight in 1934 with Explorer I . The flight ended in disaster when the balloon ripped shortly after launch, and its hydrogen mixed with air and exploded. After a harrowing few moments while Stephens had trouble escaping through the manhole, he and his two fellow aeronauts parachuted to safety.

For his next attempt, in Explorer II , the manholes were widened for easier escape, and the balloon was filled with non-flammable helium. To ensure that it attained a record altitude, Explorer II 's balloon was enlarged, the crew was cut from three to two, and its scientific payload (the stated rationale for the flight) was halved.

Like Explorer I , Explorer II was constructed of welded magnesium/aluminum alloy sections. The 2.8 meter (9-foot) sphere weighs 290 kilograms (640 pounds) and can carry a payload of 700 kilograms (1500 pounds).

More information: "Explorer II"

Extra 260

Patty Wagstaff won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship with this airplane in 1991 and 1992. The Extra 260 is a one-of-a-kind aircraft created by Walter Extra, a German aerobatic competitor and one of the world's premier aerobatic aircraft designers and builders. This hand-built aircraft is recognized for its beauty, high performance, and maneuverability. It can roll 360 degrees per second and climb vertically 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) per minute. It was first flown in 1986 and was acquired by Patty Wagstaff Airshows, Inc., in 1990.

Gift of Katherine Hall Wagstaff in memory of Robert W. Wagstaff

Displayed next to the Extra 260 are Patty Wagstaff's flight suit and a video showing her aerobatic routine, courtesy Patty Wagstaff Airshows.

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Fokker T-2

The Fokker T-2 on display at the National Air and Space Museum was the first aircraft to fly nonstop coast to coast in May 1923. The flight took 26 hours and 50 minutes.

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MacCready "Gossamer Condor"

The "Gossamer Condor" successfully demonstrated sustained, maneuverable human-powered flight on August 23, 1977, winning the coveted $95,000 Kremer Prize that British industrialist Henry Kremer established in 1959. Dr. Paul MacCready and Dr. Peter Lissamen designed the Condor, which is constructed of thin aluminum tubes and mylar plastic, supported with stainless steel wire. Championship bicyclist and hang-glider enthusiast Bryan Allen flew the Condor for 7 minutes, 2.7 seconds, over a closed course to earn the prize.

Lockheed 5B Vega

The design of Amelia Earhart's red Lockheed 5B Vega is related to that of the Northrop Alpha in gallery 102. Both were designed by Jack Northrop, and have the same streamlined shape. In 1932, exactly five years after Lindbergh's historic solo flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart flew this Vega solo across the Atlantic becoming the first woman to do so.

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Lockheed 8 Sirius "Tingmissartoq"

In 1931, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh flew to the Orient in this Lockheed Sirius - the first aircraft to reach the Far East by way of the "great circle route". Lindbergh described their trip as a vacation, with "no start or finish, no diplomatic or commercial significance, and no records to be sought". In 1933, while Lindbergh was technical advisor for Pan American Airways, the Lindberghs used the same Sirius to cross the Atlantic, researching flight paths for Pan American Airways. In Godthaab, Greenland, an Eskimo boy named the aircraft Tingmissartoq, meaning "one who flies like a bird". The aircraft bears this name, painted on the side by the same Eskimo boy.

More information: Lockheed 8 Sirius "Tingmissartoq"

Wright EX biplane

In 1911, William Randolph Hearst offered a prize of $50,000 to the first pilot to make a transcontinental flight in fewer than 30 days. After 20 hours of flying lessons, adventurer Cal Rogers acquired a Wright EX biplane and a sponsor (the Armour Company) and prepared to depart for California. The airplane was decorated with the trademark of an Armour soft-drink product, "Vin Fiz". In addition to the prize money, Rogers was to receive five dollars from Armour for every mile he flew. But it was not until almost two months later, after 70 landings, a number of which were crashes, and extensive repairs to the aircraft, that Rogers reached his destination.

More information: The Wright EX "Vin Fiz"