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FLYERS READY TO START IN BIG CLEVELAND RACE Gladys O'Donnell to Have Fastes Ship in Derby ROUTE CHARTED Fifty-Nine Machines Qualified at Noon Today SANTA MONICA, Aug. 22 - Clocked at 171.43 miles per hour, the plane to piloted by Gladys O'Donnell, mother of three children and winner of last year's event, will be the fastest ship in a field of more than 60 airplanes that will wing their way toward Cleveland from Clover Field tomorrow, flight officials announced today. But with all this speed Mrs. O'Donnell will have no better chance in the race than the pilot of the slowest ship, A.J. Edwards, who's Aeronca was time at a top speed of 81.25 miles per hour, for every entrant will fly under handicap. A TOTAL OF 63 Up to noon today there were 46 men and 17 women entered in the Santa Monica-to-Cleveland National Sweepstakes Derby, Fifty-nine planes have qualified for the race and several others will be accepted by flight officials by night-fall, it was announced. START AT 2:31 The first plane will take the air when Joe Nikrent, official started for N.A.A. and F.A.I., waves the flag at 2:31 p.m. tomorrow. Assisting him as started is Jerry McClellan of Cleveland, Ohio. C.F. Lienesch is general chairman of the transcontinental air derby committed and manager of the women's division. "Bob" Dake, veteran flyer, is manager of the men's division. Doc Kinked is scorer and Early Ovington of Santa Barbara official timer. Seventeen race officials in five airplanes will accompany the planes eastward. Their ships will be equipped with calculating machines, charts and other equipment with which to compile the standing of the various contestants while on route. ANYBODY'S RACE It appeared to be "anybody's race" today, with Gladys O'Donnell and Phoebe Ollie, women pilots, favorites in their division. Both have requested information on balloon tests and probably will seek higher altitudes in an effort to increase their speeds by favorable winds. The route over which the flyers will take their planes is as follows: Calexico, 196 miles, overnight stop; Phoenix, 206 miles, noon; Tucson, 106 miles, overnight stop; Douglas, 103 miles, noon stop; El Paso, 183 miles, overnight stop; Roswell, 160 miles, noon stop; Amarillo, 198 miles, overnight stop; Enid, 235, noon stop; Bartlesville, 108, overnight stop; Jefferson City, 244 miles, noon stop; East St. Louis, 110 miles, overnight stop; Terre Haute, 159 miles, noon stop; Dayton, 173 miles, overnight stop; Akron, 167 miles, noon stop; Cleveland, 30 miles. TOP PRIZES Top prizes in the men's division total $6000; the same for the women flyers. Best speed for the entire hop will be reward with a $2500 sport automobile or plane. Special lap prizes, oil and gasoline royalties, manufacturers' fees and other generous money posted swells the totals to over $25,000. The start of the race here is sponsored by Junior Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with National Air Race officials, National Aeronautical Association members and thousands of air minded persons. ENTRY LISTS Entrants in race were as follows: Men's division: Joe Meehan, R. E. Turner, E. B. Christopher, Alfred Spoorer, Jim Granger, D. G. Warren, W F. Baxter, Less Carson, Gage A. Irving, A. J. Edward, Leo Brusse, W. S. Postom, W. L. Stribling, Lee Gelbach, Eddie Schneider, Lee Peck, Owen Laczemby, Walter Carr, Eldon Cessna, Early Rowland, C. D. Beauchamp, Marcellus King, Tony Little, Lester Classcock, George Shealy, Leonard Fio, W. Musgrave, R. Purcell, Joe, Bennett, Gerald Nettleton, W. Kerr, Charles Goldtrap, E. Quivey, Z. D. Granville, Roy Hunt, George Quick, Bernie Rawson, H. G. Meyered, H. Newman, J. E. Owen. Entrants in the women's division are as follows: Frances Lowe Barnes, Mildred Morgan, Florence Kinensmith, Edith Foltz, Clema Granger, Phoebe Omile, Mary Charles, Marty Bowman, Mae Haizlip, Patty Willis, Louis Thaden, Gladys O'Donnell Blanche Noyez, Debie Stanford, Jean La Rene, Louise Vamos, Winifred Spooner, Joan Shankle and Ruth Stewart. INVITED AS STARTER There is a possibility that Postmaster General Walter Brown may fire the starter's pistol. An invitation to do so was sent to him immediately on his arrival here yesterday on the liner President Hoover. The eight-day flight will carry the pilots over eight states. The first lap will be a 196-mile "hop" to Calexico. The route from that point will be as follows: Phoenix, Ariz., Tucson, Ariz. (overnight), Douglas, Ariz., El Pason, Tex. (overnight), Enid, Okla., Bartlesville, Okla. (overnight), Jefferson City, Mo., East St. Louis, Ill. (overnight), Terre Haute, Ind., Dayton, O. (overnight), Akron, O., and Cleveland airport. 50 Men and Women Pilots Ready to Start Air Race COURSE FROM SANTA MONICA TO CLEVELAND With every hangar at Clover field jammed to the doors with airplanes of every type and description, more than 50 men and women pilots were marking time yesterday, waiting for the starting gun that will send them soaring aloft tomorrow afternoon on the first lap of the $25,000 Santa Monica-to-Cleveland air derby. Throughout the week Clover field has been a bedlam of aerial activity. With three United States army flyers handling the controls, every plane entered in the big race has been put through the severest kind of test flights. Handicaps have been adjusted, licenses checked with the department of commerce and the flying rules of the derby drilled daily into the kids of the pilots. COMBINED INTO ONE In previous years several air derby events, starting from different cites and ending at Cleveland, have been held. This year, however, they all been combined into one huge free-for-all from Santa Monica with both men and women competing. The race undoubtedly will be more colorful, more interesting and, possibly, more fraught with danger, due to the increased competition, than any other cross-country open derby ever staged in this country. DAILY NEWS ENTRY Illustrated Daily News readers have more than a passing interest in the outcome of the big derby. This newspaper is sponsoring the entry of Miss Mary Charles. A pupil and protege of Burette Fuller, Miss Charles has 175 hours of solo flying to her credit and has made numerous cross-country flights between here and Kansas City. "She has lots of nerve, and handles her ship like a veteran," one of the race officials commented yesterday. Miss Charles will pilot a Swallow plane, equipped with a Kinner motor. The list of feminine flyers who have already registered for the race include the names of Phoebe Omlie of Memphis, Louise Thaden, New York, Ruth Stewart, St. Louis; Jean La Rene, Dalles; Debie Stanford, Houston; Winifred Spooner, Toronto, and, from Los Angeles, Bobbie, Trot, Florence Lowe Barnes, Clema Granger, Patty Willis, Elizabeth Kelly, Gladys O'Donnell, Mildred Morgan, Mary Charles Yolando Spirito and Vinetta Gordon. IN THE MEN'S RACE Among the many men entered are Eldon Cessna and Al Rowlands, of Wichita; Joe Bennett and Capt. Bob Dake of Bradfor, Pa.; Lester Glasscock, Dunedin, Fla.; Ed Schneider, New York; Marcellus King, Fairmont, Minn.; E. L. Quinney, Chicago; Leonard Flo, Detroit; Joe Meechan, New York; George Shealy, Atlanta; Jim Granger, Santa Monica, and Pete Reinhart of Beverly Hills. Clema Granger will pilot a plane backed by Joan Bennett, motion picture actress, while Clema's Husband, Jim, will be at the controls of Hoot Gibson's Butler-Black Hawk speedster.
