DO X
The “longest flight” in history.
Do X left Friedrichshafen, Germany, on November 3, 1930, and arrived at New York, United States, on August 27, 1931.
The Dornier Do X was a German seaplane and flying boat, the largest and most impressive aircraft of its time. It was designed by the German engineer Claude Dornier and first flew in 1929. The aircraft had three decks and could accommodate up to 66 passengers in luxurious cabins. It was primarily used for long-distance transatlantic flights and was equipped with multiple engines to ensure reliability during these journeys. The Do X played a significant role in the development of long-distance air travel and aviation technology during the early 20th century.
To introduce the airliner to the potential United States, market the Do X took off from Friedrichshafen, Germany, on 3 November 1930, under the command of Friedrich Christiansen for a transatlantic flight to New York. The European route took the Do X to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Portugal. The journey was interrupted at Lisbon on 29 November, when a tarpaulin contacted a hot exhaust pipe and started a fire that consumed most of the left wing. After sitting in Lisbon harbor for six weeks while new parts were fabricated and the damage repaired, the flying boat continued with several further mishaps and delays along the Western coast of Africa and by 5 June 1931 had reached the islands of Cape Verde, from which it crossed the ocean to Natal in Brazil.
The flight continued north via Rio de Janeiro, Suriname, Trinidad to the United States, reaching New York on 27 August 1931,almost ten months after departing Friedrichshafen.
Deutche Reichpost and Dornier reach an agreement on a postal contract on the 21st of October 1930, just few days before the planned flight to New York. The first deadline for Do X mail at the Friedrichshafen post office was October 30. The Reichspost confirmed the collection of mail in Friedrichshafen and its transport to the flying boat in Lisbon. All the mail from Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany was loaded into the Do X there.
Scope of the collection: This one-frame collection chronicles Do X's nearly 10-month journey from Europe to America by mail. It presents all the stops where the mail was handled. Postal items are processed holistically, including flight routes, postal fees, postmarks, and other items appearing in the items. The collection includes very rare items, they are marked in red in the text.
Content of the Collection:
Frame 1: Presents the flight journey from start to finish.
Frame 2: Coming
The Most essential references: Volker A. Behr: Dornier Do X (2013), Peter Pletschacher, Grossflugshiff Dornier Do X (1997), Claude Dornier: Flying Boat Do X Film (1936), Donald L. Holmes: Airmail 1793-1982 (1985), The Airpost Journal, issues 452-518.
I started this Air mail-collection while finishing my Blue Ribbon -collection. My goal is to cover all the Do X postal routes through Germany to back the Germany from 1930-1932 . My final target is 3 frames, around 24 A3 exhibition pages and it will be ready for exhibitions in 2025, but first I will start with one frame collection including the one way flight from Germany to New York 1930-1931.
