A Man, A Plane and a Dream (1971)

Duration: 0:28:18

Year Published: 1971

Sound: sound

Description: Produced by Texas native and aviation enthusiast J. Douglas Allen for the Piper Aircraft Corporation, this promotional documentary chronicles Elgen Long’s record-setting 1971 solo flight around the world. Narrator David McElhatton, a reporter for San Francisco’s KCBS News Radio, describes Long’s 28-day, 36,000 mile journey in the Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft, beginning with Long’s departure on November 5 from San Francisco International Airport. As Long flies over the Arctic Circle to Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, across Antarctica to Australia, over the Pacific Ocean to Asia, and back to North America, he films the world outside his window, records his thoughts and impressions about the journey, and updates reporters on his progress. Arriving in San Francisco on December 3, Elgen became the first to fly solo around the world over both poles, the first to fly around the world and land on all seven continents, and the first to fly solo across the Antarctic. Throughout the film, Elgen and McElhatton praise the Piper Navajo’s capabilities and reliability, and the benefits of its computer-driven inertial navigation system, particularly when faced with the vast Antarctic tundra.