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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.

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 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 20 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 demonstrate their abilities. They also underwent the rigid tests 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 the 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 Woman's Trans-continental Derby.

For five and six hours at a time the foremost pilots of the land, flying the best planes the American industry could produce, performed for the spectators. Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, Lieut. Jimmy Doolittle, Lieut. Al. Williams, Freddy Lund, Doug Davis, the First Pursuit Group, the First Fighting Plane Squadron of the Navy, the Los Angeles, and noted parachute jumpers formed a part of the notable personnel. The 1929 races were conspicuously successful for their excellent management and paid attendance.

It was in 1929 that the Charles E. Thompson Trophy Classic was established. Its purpose was to serve as a stimulus to lagging development of high speed aircraft in the United States. It now enjoys the prestige of being the traditional closed-course air classic of the world.

In 1930 the National Air Races were held at Chicago, August 23 to September 1. It attracted close to a half-million people. Aerial maneuvers by the Army and Navy were most unusual. The late Charles "Speed" Holman captured  first honors in the Chas. E. Thompson Speed Classic averaging 201.90 miles per hour in a Laird Solution. The Aerol Trophy Race this year was won by Gladys O'Donnell in the Transcontinental Derby.

In 1931 the National Air Races again returned to Cleveland. A permanent air race stadium was then constructed. In the high speed land plane classic of that year the late Lowell Bayles did the 100-mile Thompson Trophy Race in a Gee Bee (specially constructed by the Granville Bros.) at an average speed of 236.24 miles per hour. The Vincent Bendix Transcontinental Classic was established this year. It was won by Major "Jimmy" Doolittle who continued to New York to establish a new transcontinental record. The Sweepstakes of the Cord Cup Race, Transcontinental Handicap Derby was won by Mrs. Phoebe Omlie. Maude Irving Tait was winner of the Aerol Irving Tait was winner of the Aerol Trophy Race, woman's classic of the year.

The Air Races were again repeated in Cleveland in 1932. The popular Jimmy Doolittle roared across the finish line to capture the Thompson Trophy Race, averaging 252.686 miles per hour. He flew a Wasp-Powered Gee Bee Super Sportster. In the Shell Speed Dash he set a new world land plane speed record of 294.38 miles per hour over a 3-kilometer course. Jimmy Haizlip, winner of the Bendix Transcontinental Race of this year, established a new transcontinental speed record of 10 hours and 19 minutes from Burbank, California, to New York, flying a Wasp Jr. powered Wedell-Williams racer. Mrs May Haizlip won the Shell Speed Dash for women establishing a new feminine world speed record of 255.513 miles per hour over a 3 kilometer course. flying a Wasp Jr. powered Wedell-Williams racer.

In 1933 the National Air Races again returned to Los Angeles through the courtesy and subsanction of the National Air Races of Cleveland, Inc. A new East to West transcontinental speed record was established by Roscoe Turner who flew from New York to Los Angeles in the Bendix Transcontinental Speed Classic. His time was 11 hours and 30 minutes at an average speed of 214.78 miles per hour. He flew a Wedell-Williams plane powered with a Wasp Sr. motor. Roy Minor of Los Angeles, who entered racing competition this year for the first time, proved a sensation and took many firsts and seconds. In the Thompson Trophy Race James R. Wedell of Patterson, Louisiana, flying a Wedell-Williams plane powered with a Wasp Jr. motor, was declared the winner. His speed was 237.952 miles per hour. Roscoe Turner finished first at a speed of 241.031, but was disqualified for cutting Pylon No. 3. The 1933 meet was a most successful one, both financially and from the standpoint of attendance. It inaugurated the concentration of the previous ten-day meets into four days of intense activity. May Haizlip was the winner this year of the Aerol Trophy Race and the Shell 3-Kilometer Speed Dash for woman pilots.


Q.B.'s Headquarters

Hollywood Plaza Hotel,

Suites 1, 2 and 3


Ten Days Into Four

Upon the success of the 1933 four-day meet in Los Angeles, it was deemed advisable to again concentrate ten days of intense activity into four at the 1934 Races in Cleveland. The four-day meet was outstanding for its diversified and fast-moving program.

There were eight entries in the Thompson Trophy Race. Most interesting, as a scientific innovation, was Roy T. Minor's "Brown Special." Doug Davis was in the lead, pressed hard by Roscoe Turner, until the eighth lap when Davis crashed fatally near No. 2 Pylon, easting a shadow over the final hour of the brilliant four-day program. Turner finished first with an average speed of 248.12 miles per hour, four miles short of the record established by Jimmy Doolittle in 1932.

The Bendix Transcontinental Speed Dash from Los Angeles to Cleveland was won by Doug Davis in a Wedell-Williams Racer, whose elapsed time was 9 hours, 26 minutes, 41 seconds for an average speed of 216.237 miles per hour. He also won the Clifford W. Henderson Trophy.

Lee Miles in a Miles & Atwood Special, powered with a Menasco motor, won the Louis W. Greve Trophy for accumulating the greatest number of points during the three races in the 550 cubic-inch displacement group.

Colorful flying by the First Pursuit Group, U. S. Army Air Corps from Selfridge Field, led by Capt. Tourtellot, as well as the V. F. Squadron Six B, U. S. Naval Air Service, from U. S. S. Carrier Saratoga, led by Lt. Cmdr. R. A. Ofstie, and the Fleet Marine Corps, U. S. Marines from Quantico, Va., led by Col. Ross E. Rowell, thrilled the crowds. An unusual demonstration of precision flying was put on by Capt. C. L. Chenault, Lt. J. H. Williamson, and Lt. Heyward S. Hansell of the U. S. Army Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Alabama, who called their act "The Men on the Flying Trapeze."

Cleveland in 1935

The 1935 meet held in Cleveland was a thrilling and interesting spectacle of speed, action and daring stunts and acrobatics. The Bendix trophy race last year was won by Ben Howard in a plane of his own design, the "Howard-Mr. Mulligan." His elapsed time from Burbank, California, to Cleveland was 8 hours, 33 minutes and 16 seconds or an average speed of 238.704 miles per hour. Roscoe Turner finished second and Russell Thaw came in third.

The Greve Trophy Race in 1935 was won by Pilot Harold Neuman flying a Howard Racer powered with a Menasco engine. His speed average over the 50-mile course 212.716 miles per hour. Second honors went to R. A. Kling and third place to Art Chester.

The 150-mile Thompson Trophy Race was won by Harold Neuman with an average speed fo 220.194 miles per hour. He also won the Greve Trophy Race. S. J. Wittman came in second flying his Wittman Special powered by Curtis. Third place went to Roger Don Rae in a Modified Kieth Rider.

Each year National Air Races reaches new heights in thrill and sensations and has now definitely become established the premier sport classic in the United States with attendance running well over the quarter million mark for the four-day meet.

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