The transatlantic plane famously stuffed with ping pong balls to make it float. After an emergency landing in Wales, Dick Merrill and entertainer Harry Richman arrived at Croydon on 4 September 1936. They returned to Croydon after a visit to Paris. They flew to Liverpool - Speke on the 10th or 11th and then on the 14th they took off for their return flight from Ainsdale Beach near Southport. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

An interesting photo of Lady Peace, the transatlantic aircraft famously stuffed with ping pong balls. During the return flight to New York it had lost fuel and made an emergency landing at Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland, damaging the propeller. Pilot Dick Merrill's employer, Eastern Air Lines, sent a DC-2, NC13731, to the Harbour Grace airstrip and spare parts reached Musgrave Harbour by boat. Lady Peace hopped over to Harbour Grace on 18 September and arrived in New York on 21 September 1936. Photo from: Library and Archives Canada

Also used for a fast trans-USA flight - see other photos - NR13770 made the fastest Atlantic crossing to date on 2 September 1936 between New York and Llandeilo, Wales. Pilot Dick Merrill and entertainer Harry Richman stuffed the plane with 41,000 ping pong balls, hoping to keep afloat in an emergency. For the return flight, oddly, no runway in Britain was long enough and Ainsdale Beach near Southport was used. The return flight nearly put the ping pong balls to the test, apparently due to Richman dumping fuel, but they made it to Newfoundland. Merill made another transatlantic return flight in L-10 Electra NR16059, in May 1937, again using Ainsdale Beach. Photo from: Hagley Museum and Library