Sold in France in January 1937 but destined for the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

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)

The only surviving example of this aircraft type and named "Lady Peace II". This particular aircraft has flown the film stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

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 photo - 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

Flown by Jimmy Doolittle on a trans-USA speed record flight in January 1935 while on lease to Shell. It took up the restricted NR registration again in August 1936 for a double crossing of the Atlantic. Later sold in Spain, ending in the hands of the Nationalists. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

Sold in France but intended for the Spanish Republicans. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia

"Lady Peace II" is the sole surviving Vultee V-1 1936-built high performance all-metal eight-seat airliner. The type was used by American Airlines 1934/36. This example was an executive a/c and flew as RX-19, AN-ABI, HP-158 before returning to the USA and was airworthy into the 1970s. Seen here in the Virginia Aviation Museum, but moved to the New Shannon Air Museum at Shannon Airport, Fredericksburg, VA in Oct 2016.

"Spirit of Pueblo" was built in 1935 and served as an executive aircraft. It is seen at Tucson in 1973 when still being flown. Later preserved in Virginia.