Named the Stars and Stripes by Lt. Commander Richard E. Byrd, the Fairchild FC-2W2 flew pioneering mapping and reconnaissance flights on the first and second Byrd Antarctic expeditions (1928–1930, and after three years’ burial in snow, 1933–35). A successor to Sherman Fairchild’s FC-2, this FC-2W2 provided a steady platform for Fairchild cameras and rescue missions. Later the Fairchild Corporation used it for photo surveys across the United States and Guatemala. Highlighted in this image is the cockpit of the Fairchild FC-2W2 Stars and Stripes.