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A Tribute

For Many Years —— over two decades —— the writer has been intimately connected with aviation and has had the extreme pleasure of knowing men who fly and who have contributed much, in some cases their own lives, to the science of aviation. Such men have courage, worlds of it, and in addition a pioneering spirit, the same spirit that prompted our forefathers to pioneer and help build these United States.

Since men first began to fly, other men following in their footsteps have proved by experiments, many times dangerous and often times fatal to them, the practicability of some device or principle connected with the flying of airplanes. It would take more space than we have room for, here, to enumerate all of the things which these pioneering pilots and courageous men have helped to develop. One of the first of these was the retractable landing gear with which practically every air transport plane is equipped today. The controllable pitch propeller, the high altitude engine, and the low wing type of construction were other developments introduced on racing planes. Flaps for reducing landing speed were an absolute necessity on racing planes some years ago because of the high speed with which they were forced to land and which often times resulted in accidents. Today these flaps are part and parcel of the equipment of practically every airline transport plane.

The racing pilot in comparable to the driver of a racing automobile. Primarily he is interested in flying and its development, and has a love for it that passes all understanding. It has only been in the last few years that the prizes, for which he competed, have been anything like adequate for the expense, time and effort, and the hazards which he undertook, to win.

To Vincent Bendix, the man whose vision and interest in aviation prompted him to offer the now famous Bendix Trophy for the race between Cleveland and Union Air Terminal at Burbank, goes a tremendous credit. Without the incentive offered by Mr.Bendix, I think I can truthfully say that many of the developments of the present day high-speed airplanes would not have been effected. These words are pitifully inadequate to express that which is in the hearts of everyone who has known the courageous persons, both men and women, who have competed in the Bendix Race since its inception. 

Some - too many - have gone on because of lack of proper equipment, hazardous flying conditions, storms, and otherwise. Those following in their footsteps have not been deterred by the accidents which have befallen others. In my opinion, this "carrying on" spells courage, and I am humbly paying my feeble tribute to all of those who have made the Bendix Trophy Race possible both from the donor of the trophy. Mr. Vincent Bendix, and those who have flown in and will continue to fly in this interesting event. 

To these pilots whom you will see take off tonight we also pay our most sincere tribute. May the innovations which they are demonstrating in this race prove as great a contribution to the future and safety of Air Transportation as those of their illustrious predecessors. God speed you safely to Cleveland and new records. 

DUDLEY M. STEELE 
President, Union Air Terminal. 

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA. SEPTEMBER 2, 1938
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UNION AIR TERMINAL PUBLISHERS
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DENTON FLOYD. . . . . . . . . .Editor
Lay-out Editor    Story Editor
Raymond Stewart    Charles K. Dooley
Cover by Von Mulldorfer
A Tribute, by Dudley M. Steele. . . 3
Bendix Trophy Race, by Charles K. Dooley . 7 
Bendix Race Statistics. . . . . 8
Union Air Terminal, by Maxine Finley. . 9
United Mainliners. . . . . . 10
Frank Fuller. . . . . . . 11
Jacqueline Cochran. . . . . . 11
Paul Mantz. . . . . . . . 13
Bob Perlick. . . . . . . . 13
"Sky Room"ers, by Bettie Lynn. . . 14
George Armistead. . . . . . . 15
Frank Cordova. . . . . . . 15
Six Victories. . . . . . . 18
Ross Hadley. . . . . . . . 19
Bernarr Macfadden. . . . . . 19
Col. John B. Hinchey. . . . . . 21
Lee Gehlbach. . . . . . . 21
Lockheed. . . . . . . . 22
Max Constant. . . . . . . 23
America's Largest Transport. . . . 25
T. W. A. . . . . . . . .  27
Western Air Express. . . . . . 29
Three Major Air Lines. . . . . 31
100-Octane Gasoline. . . . . . . 32
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