Display Status This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

In 1924, as a lieutenant in the Army Air Service, Leslie P. Arnold was a crew member in one of the three Army planes that flew 27,000 miles around the world in 175 days. Arnold joined the Army in 1917 where he served for eleven years. During his service, he spent time in France during World War I and was part of General William Mitchell's group that conducted tests to prove that battleships could be sunk by aerial bombardment. After the 1924 trip, Arnold worked for a variety of airlines: Transcontinental Air Transport; Pennsylvania Central Airlines and Eastern Air Lines.

 Identifier

NASM.XXXX.0518

 Processing Information

Arranged and described by Patricia Williams in 2002. Encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd in 2019.

 Creator

Arnold, Leslie P.

 Date

1924

 Provenance

Leslie Arnold?, Gift?, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0518.

 Extent

1.32 Cubic feet (2 legal document boxes and 1 flatbox)

 Summary

In 1924, as a lieutenant in the Army Air Service, Leslie P. Arnold was a crew member in one of the three Army planes that flew 27,000 miles around the world in 175 days. This collection consists of Leslie Arnold's handwritten diary and annotated navigational charts of the journey as well as a scrapbook with images of the trip including the aircraft, gasoline tanks, pilot crew, and air-to air shots.

 Restrictions

No restrictions on access

 Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Maps

Diaries

 Arrangement note

This collection is arranged by type of material.

 Scope and Contents

This collection consists of Leslie Arnold's handwritten diary and annotated navigational charts of the journey. The collection also contains the following: an autographed photograph; a Signal Corps message; an advertisement for Mobil oil; a page from 'Illustrated Current News;' and a black scrapbook with images of the trip including the aircraft, gasoline tanks, pilot crew, and air-to air shots. Some of the photographs in the scrapbook are snapshots while others were taken by news agencies.

 Genre/Form

Scrapbooks

Photographs

Maps

Diaries

 Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

 Names

United States. Army. Air Service

Arnold, Leslie P.

 Topics Douglas World Cruiser (DWC)
Endurance flights
Aeronautics -- Records
Aeronautics -- Flights
Aeronautics, Military
Aeronautics
Flights around the world

 Citation

United States Army Around the World Trip (Leslie Arnold) Collection, NASM.XXXX.0518, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

 Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

 Finding Aid Online Finding Aid