Original 1947 AP wire photo shows Eastern Air Lines president Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker smiling in a Lockheed Constellation cockpit after a record flight. The separate caption, dated May 17, identifies Capt. H. T. "Dick" Merrill at left rear as the pilot at the controls and Capt. M. A. C. Johnson as another pilot. They arrived at LaGuardia Field after flying from Burbank, California, to Miami in 6 hours, 54 minutes, 57 seconds, then from Miami to New York in 3 hours, 29 minutes, 45 seconds. The two hops covered about 3,437 miles. The photograph is partially mounted on black archival paper, with the separate caption mounted below. Corner tape and light wear are visible. An AP stamp is on the reverse. Measures approximately 8 x 8½ inches overall. From the archive of a Pittsburgh area newspaper.
