The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of
pylon and cross-country
races that have taken place in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew rapidly during this period; the National Air Races were both a proving ground and showcase for this.
History
In 1920, publisher
Ralph Pulitzer sponsored the Pulitzer Trophy Race and the
Pulitzer Speed Trophy for military airplanes at
Roosevelt Field,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
,
New York, in an effort to publicize aviation and his newspaper. The races eventually moved to
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, in 1929,
where they were known as the Cleveland National Air Races.
[''about the Reno Air Racing Association'' Retrieved 2010-03-10.]
They drew the best flyers of the time, including
James Doolittle,
Wiley Post
Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was an American aviator during the Aviation between the World Wars, interwar period and the first aviator, pilot to fly solo around the world. Known for his work in high-altitude flyi ...
,
Tex Rankin,
Frank Hawks,
Jimmy Wedell,
Roscoe Turner
Roscoe Turner (September 29, 1895 – June 23, 1970) was a record-breaking American aviator who was a three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race and widely recognized by his flamboyant style and his pet, Gilmore the lion, Gilmore the L ...
, and others from the pioneer age of aviation. These air races helped to inspire
Donald Blakeslee as a young boy. Other races included in the U.S. National Air Races were the Mitchell Trophy Race, the Town & Country Club Race for civilians, the Kansas City Rotary Club Trophy "for all three military services," and the
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
Trophy Race for "biplanes with engines having less than ."
Starting in 1929, the races usually ran for up to 10 days, usually from late August to early September to include Labor Day. Aviation promoter Cliff Henderson was managing director of the National Air Races from 1928 to 1939. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the races were on hiatus.[
The races included a variety of events, including cross-country races originating in Portland, Oakland, and Los Angeles, with a final destination in Cleveland.][ Also included were landing contests, glider demonstrations, airship flights, and parachute-jumping contests. The more popular events were the Thompson Trophy Races which started in 1929;][ a closed-course race where aviators raced their planes around pylons; and the Bendix Trophy Race, the "transcontinental air race," across most of the USA starting in 1931.][
In 1929, a ]Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
route was started for the Women's Air Derby (nicknamed the "Powder Puff Derby"), featuring well-known female pilots such as Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...
, Pancho Barnes, Bobbi Trout, and Louise Thaden. Thaden was the winner in the heavy Class D (engines with ), while Phoebe Omlie won the light Class C (engines with ). This was also the year for the first female pylon race, the winner of which was awarded the Aerol Trophy beginning in 1931.
In Chicago, on the last day of the 1930 trophy race (September 1), USMC Captain Arthur Page crashed his modified Curtiss Hawk Seaplane F6C-3, and died of his injuries later that day.[
After being on hiatus during the U.S. participation in ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the post-war races featured newer surplus military planes that greatly outclassed the planes from the pre-war era. In 1949 Bill Odom lost control of his P-51 "Beguine" and crashed into a Cleveland-area home, killing himself and two people. The races went on hiatus again.
Though the events specific to Cleveland were in suspension, the cross country races for the Thompson, Bendix, and G.E. trophies continued. Three B-47s flew cross country from March Air Force Base to the Philadelphia International Airport as participants in the 1955 Labor Day race. In the 1956 event, three B-47s participated in the G.E. Trophy race for Jet Bombers, flying from Kindley Field, Bermuda, to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
. One of these set a course speed record of 601.187 MPH.
The annual event resumed in 1964 as the Reno National Championship Air Races, taking place in mid-September. The Cleveland National Air Show also began in 1964.
National Air Races were run by U.S. Air Race, Inc. from 1995–2007. The company was founded by famed World Race Gold Medalist Marion P. Jayne and after her death from cancer in 1996, was run by her daughter Patricia Jayne (Pat) Keefer, 1994 World Race Gold Medalist. Under Keefer's leadership, the events tabulated a perfect safety record with nearly 600,000 miles raced, over 3,200 safe landings at 81 different airports in 43 states and two countries in 25 events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers and over 250 different sponsors she awarded 26 Learn-to-Fly scholarships and reached an estimated 20 million people with a positive message about General Aviation.
Locations, dates, Pulitzer Trophy winners and speeds
*1920 Mitchel Field, New York, 25 November, C. C. Moseley, 156.54 mph over a 29-mile triangle course
*1921 Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, 3 November, Bert Acosta, 176.75 mph over a 30.7 mile triangle course[
*1922 Selfridge Field, Michigan, 14 October, Russell Maughan, 205.86 mph over a 31.1 mile course][
*1923 St. Louis Flying Field, Missouri, 6 October, Al Williams, 243.67 mph over a 31.1 mile course][
*1924 ]Wilbur Wright Field
Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I List of Training Section Air Service airfields, pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army ...
, Ohio, 4 October, Harry Mills, 216.55 mph[
*1925 Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, 10–12 October, Cyrus K. Bettis, 248.98 mph][
*1926 Model Farms Field, ]Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, 4–13 September[
*1927 ]Felts Field
Felts Field is a public airport in the Northwestern United States, located northeast of Downtown Spokane, in Spokane County, Washington. It is owned by Spokane City-County.
The airport has two parallel runways. Now used for general aviation, ...
, Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
, 21–25 September[
*1928 Mines Field, ]Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, 8–16 September[
*1929 Cleveland Municipal Airport, ]Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, 24 August-2 September[
*1930 Curtiss-Reynolds Field, Chicago, Illinois, 23 August–September 1][
*1931 ]Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, August 29-September 7[
*1932 Cleveland, Ohio, 27 August-5 September][
*1933 Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, 1–4 July][
*1934 Cleveland, Ohio, August 31-September 4][
*1935 Cleveland, Ohio, August 30-September 2][
*1936 Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, September 4–7,][ Michel Détroyat on Caudron C.460
*1937 Cleveland, Ohio, September 3–7][
*1938 Cleveland, Ohio, September 3–5][
*1939 Cleveland, Ohio, September 2–5][
*1940 to 1945 Hiatus for World War II
*1946 Cleveland Municipal Airport, Cleveland, Ohio, 31 August-2 September, Tex Johnston][
*1947 Cleveland, Ohio, 30 August-1 September][
*1948 Cleveland, Ohio, 2–4 September][
*1949 Cleveland, Ohio, 3–5 September][
*1950 to 1963 Hiatus after crash
*1964 Resumption as "The National Championship Air Races" in ]Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
[
*1964 Indirect successor as the Cleveland National Air Show''The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History'' Retrieved 2010-03-11.]
/ref>
See also
* Gordon Bennett Trophy (aeroplanes)
* Dole Air Race
* Halle Trophy Race
*Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and ...
References
External links
Flight Centennial: National Air Race
Movie of 1932 National Air Race, Cleveland, Ohio
Society of Air Racing Historians site
R.H.R Atcherly 1932 Cleveland Air Races Photographs, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University
Cleveland Air Races Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University
*{{cite web, title=Cliff Henderson Special Collection, url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157649474580500, website=San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives, Flickr, date=22 December 2014 , access-date=14 October 2016
Air races
History of Cleveland
Recurring sporting events established in 1920
1920 establishments in New York (state)
1949 disestablishments in Ohio