1924 British Round-the-World Flight Press Photo – MacLaren & Vulture Amphibian Launch

This rare original 1924 International Newsreel dual-scene press photograph captures a milestone in early long-distance aviation. On the left, Major A. Stuart MacLaren, Royal Air Force flight commander, stands with his young daughter Lillian moments before his departure from Calshot on an ambitious round-the-world flight. On the right, an overhead view shows the Vickers "Vulture" amphibian aircraft lifting off above a crowd of onlookers, symbolizing the bold launch of the mission.

The reverse bears the original typewritten press caption, dated April 7, 1924, confirming its authenticity as a working news photograph. The caption details that MacLaren’s aircraft, crewed by Flight Officer W.M. Plenderleith and Sergeant Andrews (mechanic), encountered early engine trouble, forcing a landing at Corfu for repairs.

This historically important image documents both the human and technical elements of early British aerial exploration and serves as a striking visual record of interwar aviation ambition.