Flight Around the Rim #575: Ernest Emery Harmon Papers

Published March 3, 2026 at 6:00 AM MST

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Photograph of the Martin bomber that flew around the rim of the U.S taken at Curtiss Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 16, 1919. Box 1, Ernest Emery Harmon papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of the Martin bomber that was used to fly around the rim of the U.S., taken from The Chicago Evening Post, August 8, 1919. Box 1, Ernest Emery Harmon papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of the crew of the Martin bomber that flew around the rim of the U.S., taken from The Louisville Courier-Journal, August 1, 1919. Box 1, Ernest Emery Harmon papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of part of the crew of the Martin bomber that flew around the rim of the U.S taken at Curtiss Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 16, 1919. Box 1, Ernest Emery Harmon papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

In 1919 an intrepid group set out to promote commercial aviation. Their objective – a flight around the rim of the United States. At the time, it was the longest aerial trip ever attempted.

Lieutenant Colonel R.S. Hartz and a crew of four Army aviators left Washington D.C. in July. The group included two mechanics and an electrician. They flew in an Army Martin bomber. The journey took them through 31 states and over 95 cities.

The plane’s speed was a maximum of 100 miles per hour, but the aircraft often faced headwinds that slowed their progress. At times the plane’s two 400-horsepower engines struggled. Following a particularly rough landing after they crossed the Adirondacks, their trip was delayed by nearly a month for repairs of the landing gear.

Other repairs had to be made in the air. While flying high over Baltimore, a crew member had to venture out on a wing to fix a leaky water tank.

Learn more in the Ernest Emery Harmon papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.