On July 22, 1933, aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world, setting a speed record for around the world travel. Post set the previous record two years before with a copilot named Harold Gatty. That flight made them both instant celebrities with White House visits and ticker tape parades. Hoping to raise funds to start his own flying school, Post decided to attempt the trip again. This time, he decided to fly solo and test a new autopilot device and radio compass that was being developed by the Sperry Gyroscope Company and the US Army.
His trip took covered 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 50 minutes, shaving nearly 21 hours off his previous time. The autopilot needed frequent servicing during the trip but accomplished the needed task. His arrival at New York was greeted by an estimated 50,000 people.
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