Erik Nelson

views updated

Erik Nelson

Swedish-American aviator who participated in the first circumnavigation of the globe by air in 1924. This journey, undertaken in largely unenclosed biplanes, took about five months. At one point, after the planes had made an emergency landing in Indochina, Nelson was able to get assistance from the local Standard Oil office and local tribes, who helped tow the damaged aircraft upriver behind their sampans.

About this article

Erik Nelson

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article