John Polando (1901–1985) was an early American aviation pioneer who, along withRussell Boardman, flew fromFloyd Bennett Field toIstanbul in 1931 to set anaviation record for the longest continuous distance flown without refueling. Following this achievement, he was an officer inWorld War II.
Born in 1901 inLynn, Massachusetts, Polando learned to fly in 1918. After joining theUnited States Army Air Corps in 1927, he metRussell Boardman at a "Wall of Death"motorcycle event inRevere. Deciding that Boardman would make a good co-pilot, the two teamed up and began to pursue a dream of breaking a world record.[1]
The two men trained atHyannis Airport in preparation for their trip toIstanbul.[2] While it was originally planned for them to fly toTeheran, andRome andMoscow,were considered it was determined that Istanbul would be easier than Teheran as the distance was shorter , and that flying to Rome or Moscow were not far enough to beat the record..
The record breaking flight took place between July 28 and 30, 1931. Polando andRussell Boardman took off fromFloyd Bennett Field in the aircraftCape Cod.The plane was a Bellanca Special J6 monoplane. Eighteen minutes later,Clyde Edward Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr. took off from Floyd Bennett in an unsuccessful attempt to circumnavigate the world.[3][4] Boardman and Polando then flew overNewfoundland and dropped theNew York Times at lighthouses in the province. Along the way, they also flew overIreland,Paris, andMunich. They also circled theSwiss Alps at night to avoid crashing into them.[1]
The distance of 5,011.8 miles (8,065.7 km), over a total of forty nine hours and twenty minutes established a distance record, which was the first known non-stop flight whose distance surpassed either English (5,000 mi) or metric (8,000 km) mark.[2][5][6][7]
Polando died in 1985 as a result of injuries sustained in an aircraft accident. In 1981, on the 50th anniversary of their record flight,Barnstable Municipal Airport addedBoardman-Polando Field to its name to recognize their accomplishment.[2]
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