Jimmie Mattern’s Vega

NR869E was used by Mattern in his ’round the world attempt in 1933.

NR869E being readied for its globe-trotting flight. The markings are still being applied.

The irrepressible Jimmie Mattern.

What started as a great airplane – the Lockheed Vega – became famous due to its usage in various aerial exploits in the 1930s. One such act of aviation derring-do came from Jimmie Mattern, who used the Vega in his attempts to circumnavigate the globe in 1932 and 1933. Alas, Mattern flew great distances and even set records, but he never made it around the globe; both of his attempts ended with a wrecked Vega in the Soviet Union.

Despite these setbacks, Mattern was one of the great contributors to aviation progress. This is reflected by the fact that when Apollo 11 went to the moon, Jimmie Mattern’s pilot license was carried aboard.