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[[image]] "Get ready"
[[image]] "Five minutes"
[[image]] "One minute"
[[image]] "Go"
[[image]] "winner"

These photos demonstrate the flag signals used by J. Earl Steinhauer, the official starter, to keep the Races running at a fast and smooth clip.
 
Get ready- Standing about 75 feet in front of the starting line facing contestants, the starter points up and down the line to get attention and warn that the five-minute flag will go up momentarily. Flags used are three feet square, one red, and the other red and white checked.

In the event of an emergency, focusing the start to be delayed, starter signals planes by raising and crossing both flags above his head which indicates a new start is necessary.

Five minutes to go- With the red flag elevated, starter thus indicates that five minutes remain before start of the race.

One minute- Both flags held high warns contestants that final minute before start of the race is at hand. As the seconds tick away, the starter drops down slowly until he reaches a full crouch at 30 seconds to go. Then he begins rising. When the minute is up, he is again standing and quickly drops both flags to get the race underway.

Go- When the starter's flags hit the ground, the race is on.

Winner- Starter waves down the winner with red and white checkered flag as he completes the required number of laps of the course had similarly signals down each contestant upon his completion of the specified laps. 

1951 National Air Races                      33