Douglas World Cruiser Flagship "Chicago" on Wheeled Undercarriage (1924)

Douglas World Cruiser No. 2 Chicago on wheeled landing gear with pilot seated on fuselage at an airfield flight line. — Douglas World Cruiser Flagship "Chicago" on Wheeled Undercarriage (1924) · Donald A. Hall Estate Collection

A foundational historical artifact from Donald A. Hall Sr.'s early career at Douglas Aircraft Company, this negative documents Douglas World Cruiser No. 2, the "Chicago" (A.S. Serial 23-1230). Flown by World Flight commanders 1st Lt. Lowell H. Smith and 1st Lt. Leslie P. Arnold, the aircraft features the official round World Flight emblem, the bold numeral 2, and wheeled landing gear. Preserved by Hall from the cruisers' triumphant return to Clover Field in Santa Monica, the image highlights the split-axle landing gear and structural load rigging he calculated under Jack Northrop and Donald Douglas.