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required to race 200 yards with a pennant and tie
it on the strut of the plane flying the next relay.
This unique event was won by a team composed of
Basil Rowe, A.H. Kreider, and "Casey" Jones.
For the first six years of their existence the Na-
tational Air Races had been confined to the east. In
1927, however, the scene was moved to Spokane, 
Washington, where large and enthusiastic crowds
attended the twelve schedule races. Transcon-
tinental and sectional air derbies were inaugurated
at these races, and they attainted such popularity
that they have been repeated annually. The fea-
ture derby from Roosevelt Field, New York, to
Spokane was captured by C.W. Holman, who 
spanned the continent in his laird Plane in 19
hours 42 minutes 47 seconds. This derby was open 
to civilians only.
The feature event of the 1927 closed course events
was the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Trophy Free-
for-All Race, won by James Ray in his Pitcairn,
which averaged 136.15 miles per hour. Ray also 
carried off the Detroit Aviation Town and Country
Club Trophy with the same plane at an average
speed of 138.39 miles per hour. The trophy for
winning the military pursuit ship race went to lieut.
E.C. Batten, whose speed averaged 201.24 miles
per hour.

The Turning Point
Dating from the 1928 National Air Races, each
subsequent meet has been larger and more successful
from every point of view. The 1928 races, held at
Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, from September
8 to September 16, drew capacity crowds, attracting
a total attendance of over 300,000 people. It marked
the turning point in the history of the National Air
Races. Prior to this, the project was a 2 to 3 day air
meet, on a small scale basis with only military par-
ticipation. It introduced commercial aviation, and
those present saw American civil and commercial 
aviation at a point of development which had not
heretofore been comprehended by the general public.
Prize money totaling more than $125,000 spurred
contestants to demonstrate their utmost abilities,
and the nine days of events held the crowds breath-
less. The Army and Navy were present with their
best ships and most competent pilots. The Navy's
"Three Sea Hawks" and the Army's "Three Muske-
teers" flew in marvelous "echelon" and "V" forma-
tions, holding the crowds spellbound. Colonel Lind-
bergh presented an unusual exhibition flight, as did
Amelia Earhart in her "Moth", "Dill Pickle" and
"Baby Bullet" planes.
Never had enthusiasm run so high in the nine
years of air racing as at the 1929 races in Cleveland.
This "Air Classic of the Century" was attended by 
more than a half million people during the ten days
from August 24 to September 2. For the first time
in history of the races military planes and pilots
were forced to yield the spotlight to commercial
planes and civilian pilots.  Doug Davis of Atlanta,
Georgia, easily vanquished both the Army and the
Navy in the sensational free-for-all race. He flew
his special low-wing Travel-Air at an average speed
of 194.90 miles per hour. Davis with his stunt 
team and Freddy Lund with his Waco team sur-
passed in dating and grace the regular Army and Navy
stunt pilots. Another civilian feature of the meet
was the stunning of a Ford tri-motored plane by
Charles W. ("Speed") Holman.
Gliding was introduced by the 1929 National Air
Races into American racing classics. Airplane-
towed gliders left Detroit for Cleveland and were
released several thousand feet above the Cleveland
airport, landing before the grandstands. Automo-
bile and shock-cord launchings were demonstrated
at this first national glider contest.

Graf Zeppelin At Races
The Graf Zeppelin passed over the field on the 
last lap of her round-the-world journey and was
wildly acclaimed by a crowd of 100,000 at the field
who waited twelve hours for its arrival. The Los
Angeles, which flew from Lakehurst with President
L.W. Greve of the Cleveland race corporation as a
passenger, was moored at the airport overnight,
after taking abroad a Navy plane in flight. This 
latter demonstration was the first transfer in history
of a passenger from a lighter-than-air to a heavier-
than-air craft in flight. The new Navy all-metal

(picture)
Famous Gee Bee in which Jimmy Doolittle established the
world land plane speed record of 294.38 m.p.h. at the 1932
National Air Races.

airship, ZMC-2, also landed at the airport to pay
its respects to the air race crowds, and four Goodyear
non-rigid balloons were almost daily visitors at the
field.
Women flyers were entered on a par with men 
flyers in the 1929 National Air Races for the first 
time. The Woman's Derby from Santa Monica to 
Cleveland resulted in high honors to the "lady birds"
who handled their planes like veterans. Mrs. Louise
Thaden, flying a Travel-Air with a Wright J-5C
motor, was the winner in the heavy-plane class. She
flew the distance in an elapsed time of 29 hours 2
minutes 2 seconds. Mrs. Phoebe Omlie in her
Monocoupe was victorious in the light-plane derby.
But not alone in derbies did the women pilots demon-
strate their abilities. They also underwent the rigid
test of racing. Three races, one for planes ranging
from 510 to 800 cubic inch piston displacement and
two Australian pursuit contests, were open only to
women. The most coveted perpetual trophy for
women was Aerol Trophy which was posted for
the first time this year by L.W. Greve of Cleveland.
This trophy was won by Mrs. Phoebe Omlie in the 
Women's Transcontinental Derby.
For five and six hours at a time the foremost pilots
of the land, flying the best planes the American in-
dustry could produce, performed for the spectators.
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, Lieut. Jimmy Dootlittle,
Lieut. Al. Williams, Freddy Lund, Dough Davis, the
(Continued in page 48)
1934 National Air Races Page 45