BOEING B-52 LUCKY LADY III TAIL NO. 53-394

AROUND THE WORLD IN 45 HOURS & 19 MINUTES 
THE FIRST JET TO CIRCLE THE GLOBE

Our Boeing B-52, tail #53-394, was known as Lucky Lady III. As lead Stratofortress of Operation Power Flite, the USAF Strategic Air Command's eight-engine jet bomber departed California's Castle Air Force Base in January of 1957, becoming the first jet engine to circle the globe nonstop via in-flight refueling. 

The momentous 24,325 mile trip was completed in 45 hours, 19 minutes after landing at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. The flight around the globe won not only the 1957 Mackay Trophy, but also landed Lucky Lady III on the prized cover of Life magazine. 

Later renamed “City of El Paso”, this B-52 was retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Saved from the scrap heap by Walter Soplata in 1984, the PlaneTags team pulled her out of his forest collection, saving the aircraft for historical preservation and bringing to you as limited edition PlaneTags. Claim a piece of Lucky Lady III for your collection before she's gone.