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1930s National Air Races: Speed and SpectacleAviation History | 2 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
The form of the races varied during the early 1920s. Then, in 1923, the National Aeronautic Association consolidated a number of smaller events into what was called the International Air Races. The large national meeting proved to be a success. The name was soon changed, and from then until the eve of World War II, the National Air Races became America’s premier aviation event. Subscribe Today
During the early 1920s, the Pulitzer Prize, sponsored by the famous publishing family, was the highlight of the annual event. After the cancellation of the Pulitzer Trophy Race in 1925, however, the races lacked the distinction that a major prize had given the event, and it deteriorated into little more than an exhibition of parachuting and stunt flying.
The successful flight of Charles Lindbergh in 1927, however, brought about a renewal of public interest in aviation. This revival also meant new interest in racing as well. The fortunes of the National Air Races rose.
Part of the reason for this growing status was the leadership of two brothers from California, Clifford and Phillip Henderson, who convinced the National Aeronautic Association to give them charge of the event. As promoters, the Henderson brothers quickly proved themselves to be the ideal team to put the air races back in the clouds. Clifford, the master showman, had the ability to keep the crowd entertained; Phillip was the astute businessman. Together, the brothers transformed the fortunes and the reputation of the National Air Races.
Under the Henderson brothers, stunt-flying and parachuting remained important attractions of the National Air Races. Nonetheless, it was the air races which everyone paid to see, and the new races added to the program attracted crowds and caught the attention of the aviation world as well.
The first of these events, the Thompson Cup Race, was added to the Nationals in 1929. The closed-course event for unlimited planes, sponsored by Cleveland manufacturer Charles E. Thompson, was an immediate success. Like the barnstorming events, the race provided breathtaking excitement for the crowd. In 1930, the name of the race was changed to the Thompson Trophy, but the importance of the event remained unchanged. From then until it was ended in 1939, the Thompson Trophy Race provided the climactic final event of each year’s National Air Races meeting. It was also the premier closed-course race in the world.
The Thompson Trophy Race, as well as the other closed-course races, was among the most popular events with the crowds that filed into the grounds and filled the grandstands for the competitions. Although the courses varied in length and shape, the races were generally flown over a course of about 10 miles long with 50-foot-high pylons marking the turns. With their high speeds and wing-tip-to-wing-tip flying, the closed-course races were loaded with breathtaking action. Because the races were flown at low altitudes and around a closed course, the crowds in the granstands could easily see much of the spectacle. All in all, the Thompson Trophy and the other closed-course races were spectator sport of the highest order.
One innovation that the Hendersons brought to the Thompson Trophy and the National Air Races to make them more appealing to the crowds was the massed start for the closed-course events. Instead of taking off at timed intervals, as had been the custom at most closed-course air races before that time, the planes in the National Air Races took off together.
Lined up on the field side by side at about 100-foot intervals, the planes took off 10 seconds apart. Each cleared a staging pylon, which equalized the interval. And once the planes passed onto the course, each competitor was in his relative position on the course. The arrangement, unlike timed events, made competition wing tip to wing tip and helped make the events more exciting by allowing competitors and spectators alike to see just how daring the competition really was. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
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2 Comments to “1930s National Air Races: Speed and Spectacle”
Most of this article is viably the truth. One inconsistency is that the pilot killed at the Indianapolis takeoff was Russell Boardman and not BayLes as stated. I will explain the death of Lowell Bayles in a shortly. Russell Boardman was a wealthy record breaking distance pilot who took major stock control of the Gee Bee operation after the death of Lowell Bayles. Through his vested power, he appointed himself the 1932 race pilot for the Gee Bee R1 racer. Just before the Cleveland national races Boardman borrowed a Gee Bee commercial plane for transportation and in what was to be his potentially lethal style, hastily pulled the little Gee Bee off the ground too quickly, too steeply, stalled and spun the plane into the trees. He survived but would not heal in time to Race the R1 in the Thompson trophy at Cleveland. Jim Doolittle without a plane after crash landing his Super Solution race plane due to landing gear mechanical problems, was asked to race the Gee Bee R1 by Zantford Granville. The rest of the story for the 1932 Thompson is history. Boardman, after healing from his injuries set out in 1933 to race the R1 in both the Bendix long distance races and the Thompson pylon speed races. The R1 was now fitted with an even larger Pratt & Whitney Hornet Engine and extra fuel tanks needed for the Bendix. These changes did not sit well with engineer Pete Miller and Zantford Granville, but as it always does, money talks. In Indianapolis Boardman was agitated when his teammate Russell Thaw in the R2 racer damaged a wingtip upon landing. Boardman topped off the tanks of the big R1 and hastily pulled the laden ship into the air only using a fraction of the available and much needed runway. The big racer went into a stall, rolled on it’s back, and crashed. Boardman died later, marking the financial end and company control of the Gee Bees. One must remember these were, after all, race planes, and you don’t fly them like a trainer and you don’t win races with a trainer. Just like performance aircraft today, the racers of that period required skills that were only endowed to a few top notch pilots at the time. Poor pilot choices for whatever reasons and design changes beyond the Granville Brother’s control were apparently at fault in most, if not all cases from that point on.
I’ll get back to Lowell Bayles now. Bayles, like Doolittle was an extremely talented pilot. Slim, quite and well liked, he was a gracious aviation hero and icon. Bayles was killed in an attempt to break the world land speed record at the Wayne County airport in Michigan on Dec. 5, 1931. The Gee Bee “Z” model had been refitted with a 750 HP Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340. At the speeds being approached at the time a phenomenon known as aileron flutter caused handling and structural problems not then understood. It is theorized that Bayles was hit, stunned, or knocked unconscious by a gas cap that came loose and blew though the windscreen. This caused a radical movement of the controls causing in-flight structural failure. The fact that two young boys found the gas cap and Bayle’s goggles far from crash site leads to this conclusion. An exact replica of the Gee Bee “Z” was built by Kimball Enterprises and tested in the mid 1990’s. It was tested and found to have definite aileron flutter above 240 mph. Since Bayles was said to be doing 314 mph at the time it is possible that flutter alone could have been the problem. Zantford Granville, Gee Bee founder, was devastated as Lowell Bayles was seen as one of the Granville Bother’s to him. The Granville’s did not take risks and many other engineers and pilots of the time touted them as great airplane builders. I is the Media that created the “death trap” myth. Contrary to popular belief the Granville’s always had an aeronautical engineer (Bob Hall and Pete Miller) aiding design and for the famous 1932 R1 actually did wind tunnel testing in NY, a new technology at the time. They were not backyard builders. Later Gee Bee planes were extensively modified by third party owners of the planes against the wishes of the Granville’s and flown by less than the very best pilots. The inexperience in piloting and design changes, led to a series of crashes bringing bad press to and tarnishing the Granville name.
By Wayne on Feb 2, 2009 at 3:51 pm