Though released six weeks after the Hindenburg disaster, which put a stop to all commercial dirigible flights, the film's climax occurs on a German dirigible and it contains stock footage of the Hindenburg (LZ-129).
The famous Broadway columnist, What's My Line? (1950) star and possible murder victim Dorothy Kilgallen contributed to the script of this film. It is (very) loosely based on her participation in an around the world air race, as chronicled in Lee Israel's excellent book, "Kilgallen."
The 1936 American Airlines Douglas DST-144 (DC-3) named "Flagship Illinois" seen in the film, registration NC16002, disappeared on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami in 1948, and has been referred to as a possible Bermuda Triangle mystery.
The Pan Am clipper they are shown boarding is a Martin M-130 named the "Philippine Clipper", registration NC14715, built in 1934. It also suffered a horrible fate as did the DC-3 shown in this film. On January 21, 1943 while on flight 1104 from Honolulu to San Francisco, it crashed into a mountain at 2,500 feet near Ukiah, California at night in bad weather. All nine crew and ten passengers were killed.
Includes a shot of what appears to be the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge under construction as part of the around the world race.