"Gerald S." wrote in news:FwJbj.85043
:

I never saw this in person but saw pictures of it. IIRC these are the
characteristics:

1. "old" - I'd say from the 1930's to early 1950's.
2. monoplane
3. prop - can't even remember if it was single or multi
4. I'm guessing about twice the size of a DC3
5. closed cabin (I'm guessing it had a cabin) but definitely an open
cockpit. This was the most distinctive aspect of the a/c. Looked like
two guys in front of an 18 wheeler but the cockpit was open.
6. I think it was based north of San Francisco and might have attempted
to cross the Atlantic but had to stop on the east coast of the US due to
a mechanical.

any ideas?

Sounds like an early Fokker, maybe, An F VII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Southern_cross.jpg or maybe an FII.
http://www.dutch-aviation.nl/index5/...x5-2%20F2.html


One F II was used by the US Army in the first non-stop cross continental US
flight so it could be that you were talking about, but th econfiguration
you mention was relatively common in the 1920s so could be just about
anything.
You could browse around Aerofiles to se if you can find the one you are
looking for. Also try loking up early Lockheeds, DeHavillands Boeings
Fords. They all more or less fit your description.
There wasn't much in that era bigger than a DC 3, BTW, though it's not
impossible. By the 1930s pretty much all large airplanes had a closed
coskpit.


Bertie