Soviet airplane, enormous for the day, lands at Sand Point Naval Air Station, Seattle, on October 17, 1929.

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On October 17, 1929, a giant Tupolev ANT-4 twin-engine airplane lands at Sand Point on a goodwill tour. The airplane has flown to Sand Point Naval Air Station, Seattle, from Moscow in the Soviet Union by way of Siberia, Attu Island, and Sitka, Alaska.

The three-man crew refueled and exchanged amphibious floats for landing wheels. They continue on to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Detroit, and New York. The plane was huge for the day, tipping the scales at more than 17,000 pounds with a 93-foot wingspan.

The Soviets later asserted that the ANT-4 was an inspiration for the Boeing 247, which first flew at Seattle in 1933. However, Boeing has no record that its engineers participated in any repairs to the big visitor.

Sources:
Naval Station Puget Sound at Sand Point (Seattle: U.S. Navy, 1993), 27.

By David Wilma, January 01, 2000

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This essay made possible by:
Seattle Parks & Recreation Dept.

This giant Soviet Seaplane landed at Sand Point in Seattle, October 17, 1929

Soviet ANT-4 exchanges pontoons for wheels in a Sand Point hangar, October 17, 1929
Courtesy U.S. Navy