Horace Griffen, the local Buick Dealer, donated the Buick convertible to use as a refueling car. Altogether there were approximately 600 volunteers. Everyone else in the Yuma community and southern Arizona either helped in some great or small way by showing their encouragement and hailing the fliers on. Minutes before the old record of 1,008 hours was to be broken, a similar plane painted the same red color landed giving the onlookers a harrowing moment until they saw that the plane had no lettering on it. Ten minutes later the old record was broken.
Airplanes have two magnetos for safety reasons.
The engine, after 145 million revolutions was found to be in excellent condition. The engine had, in fact, run two times past the manufacture's recommended overhaul period without even a change of spark plugs. The plane has been dismantled and is in the stages of restoration to the appearance and specifications that it was in during the 1949 flight. All the restoration work and related events is being done by volunteers.