Society of Air Racing Historians

            1929 National Air Races and Aeronautical Exposition

By Bill Meixner
                                                                

             Clifford Henderson brought the faltering National Air Races to Los Angeles Mines Field  in September of 1928. 
            He  also  added  an  Aeronautical  Exposition to  showcase  the  latest  in  aircraft  and  related  equipment. 
              The 1928 National Air Race  was a major improvement  over  previous  exhibitions held at non spectator-friendly
              military bases. A number of Cleveland city officials along with business leaders traveled to Mines Field to see if
               the races might benefit Cleveland's position as the aviation capitol of the country. They were favorably impressed
            and succeeded  in bringing the next year's event to Cleveland.  1929 would be a quantum leap in quality and a
                            much-needed public exposure of aviation in general.                          
                                    
                                        

                      Race officials photo op.
                           Committee members and airport officials     
                           gather in front of Richland Oil Company's 
                           luxury appointed Fokker F -10.

The size and facilities of the Cleveland Airport were among determining
factors which enabled Cleveland to get the National Air Races here for
the first time in 1929. The airport was the first municipally owned in the country.
It was large enough to host the races on the west end of the airfield without
interrupting normal commercial traffic at the east end. A state- of -the -art
passenger terminal building had just been opened, complete with beautiful  
landscaping. Many new hangars and support buildings were either complete
or under construction. The city of Cleveland spent $450,000 in conditioning
the airport for the races.

                                       
          


                                                           

                                                           
                                                                                                   New Passenger Terminal

                                                     
                                                                                              One of the many new hangars

             Expo   The Aeronautical exposition  
                       was held in the new $10 million Public Hall.
                       Nearly every manufacturer of aircraft and
                       allied industries were represented in the
                       200,000 sq. ft. of floor space. Exhibitors
                       displayed  $3 million worth aircraft, motors                  
                       and accessories. Musical  extravaganzas                                
                       were offered each day and evening.

Cliff Henderson, a talented musician and college
orchestra leader wrote the lyrics for the races
theme song "On Wings of Love" sung every
evening at 11:00pm by the Marie De Ville a
regular singer on radio station WTAM.

                              ( Steve Zatroch collection)                             

                                     Cleveland built
                                     A full size Great Lakes trainer was suspended
                                     at the display area of the Cleveland Trust Bank
                                     on the corner of East 9th and Euclid Ave. As a
                                     promotion of the National Air Races.

    Parade in downtown Cleveland                                                                              
        On the day prior to the opening of the races, a very large parade was held on the main street of downtown Cleveland,
        The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported; "300,000 downtown see 5 miles of flowers mark city's welcome"      
        Overhead, an armada of military and civilian aircraft accompanied the parade.
 

                                                             
                                                                                             Parade down Euclid Ave.

              

        Great Lakes  Aircraft Company located on Cleveland's
               east side also displayed one of their trainers on a parade float.

                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  (Mark Braunich collection)                                                                      

  Boeing  The Boeing Aircraft Company sent
    it's newest tri-motor Transport, the Model 80A;
    prior to it's entrance into airline service.
    The new Boeing was the major attraction of
    the Expo. pictured here on display outside of
    Cleveland City Hall.

                 Celebrities Cleveland City Manager
                   William Hopkins   with Amelia Earhart,
                   Ed Thompson, and Mrs. Ed Thompson.

  Many dignitaries and movie stars were in attendance, national hero Charles Lindbergh and Commander Hugo Eckner of the Graff Zeppelin, to name just two. Pilot Jimmy Haizlip said "the whole of aviation was there and you could have put them all in a dance hall and have half of it left over".

        The daily schedule included other aviation attractions such as parachute jumping, military demonstrations, lighter than-air craft, air derbies and aerobatics demonstrations. Coupled with the Aeronautical Exposition and concerts, this was a major entertainment spectacle and a much needed public exposure of military and civilian aviation.

     Women pilots were making  their presence known
          and wanted to be part of the National Air Races. A first ever
          air derby was created for women pilots only, sponsored by          
          The National Exchange Club the cross country race would            
          start at Clover field Santa Monica CA. and finish at Cleveland.
          The women were given nine days to reach the races already
          in progress. The winner would be the pilot with the shortest
          time in the air. The two divisions, were based on engine size.

Twenty women pilots including two foreign entries
 started the race, most flying open cockpit biplanes.
 A small number were seasoned pilots while most had
 only limited flying experience. At the time of the race
 there were just over 100 licensed female pilots in the
 US.
 
 

     Start of the Women's Air derby
        Chairman Floyd J. Logan,  Louis W. Greve, President of
        The Cleveland National Air Races holding the starting gun,
        and Cliff Henderson in contact with Clover Field by phone.

    Louise Thaden, was the first to cross the finish
       line at Cleveland with the shortest time in the air. Louise
       won the Women's Air Derby (Class D division) in a
       new Travel Air sponsored by Walter Beech.
         
        
 

                    Phoebe Omlie was the winner of
                     ( Class C division ) in a Monocoupe.

  

  US Navy High Hats
    Col. Lindbergh flew demonstration flights with the two wingmen
     of the US Navy "High Hats" squadron leader Lt. Gehres.
     Pictured here with Lindbergh, Lt. Frank O' Brirne (L) and
     Lt. Frederick N. Kivette (R).  Lt. Gehres, leader of the aerobatic
     team,  went on to have an impressive military career in the Navy.  
     Admiral Gehres is considered by many as the person most
     responsible for driving the Japanese out of the Aleutian Islands
     as commander of Patrol Wing 4.  In recognition of that fact, he was  
     promoted to the rank of Commodore, a rank not held by anyone
     since Commodore Perry. Before the war ended he was promoted
     to Admiral.

        
                          ( Mark Braunlich collection)

        

        US Army Air Corps
               Lt. Jimmy Doolittle who was well known for his winning the Schneider 
              Cup Race at Baltimore MD in 1925 appeared at the races as part of
               the  US Army team.

   Jimmy Doolittle took this Experimental Curtiss P-1C Hawk
   up to a practice area west of Cleveland Airport on Sept 1
   and attempted a repeat of his outside loop first performed
   at Wright Field.        






                                       ( US Army Photo )

                      The Curtiss Hawk shed it's wings during the attempt
                      and Doolittle parachuted from the wingless plane.
                      Safe on the ground he recovered his parachute and
                      hitched a ride back to the airport where he reported
                      to the Army field office and secured another similar
                      plane to do his demonstration flight. 

                                                                                                    Trophies
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                  
                                                                 The forty plus trophies on display at the Expo in Public Hall



                                     Event No 26   Free-for-all Speed Contest

                                   

                                                                                             
                                                                                                     The Thompson Cup

                                     While the military dominated the previous National Air Races, this year would be different. 
                                     Walter Beech, President of the Travel Air Manufacturing Co. in Wichita along with two of
                                     his engineers developed two low-wing monoplanes with great speed potential to enter
                                     in the NAR. Original design called for a new inline engine. Two examples were built, one
                                     with the new Chevrolair inline engine and one with a  Wright radial engine. Tests reviled
                                     the inline engine did not perform as expected but both were flown to Cleveland and entered.
                                     Walter Beech himself flew one of the two. During construction these aircraft were built in a
                                     hangar  restricted to employee's only . Walter did not allow any media people to see the
                                     construction, so the press called them “Mystery Ships”. As soon as the planes landed in
                                     Cleveland, they were rolled into the a hangar with the windows covered and doors closed.

              
                     "Mystery Ship" with Chevrolair Engine                                                  "Mystery Ship" with Wright Radial Engine
                            

                    On Sept. 2nd, Doug Davis, an airline pilot from Atlanta, Georgia,
                    flying the Travel Air "Mystery Ship", won event no. 26, the 50-mile
                    free-for-all speed contest. During the race, Davis cut inside one
                    of the pylons and had to re circle it but still managed to beat both
                    the Army's and Navy's fastest pursuit planes. Charles Thompson,
                    president of Thompson Products Company, sponsor of the event
                    personally, awarded the large cup to Doug Davis. Second place
                    went to Lt. Breen in a Army P-3A. Third place went to Roscoe
                    Turner in a Lockheed Vega.

                             History would show the most significant contribution to the to the 1929 races would be the Thompson Cup.
                                            The Thompson Trophy would be the turning point in air racing from military to civilian.
                                                                                     See the Thompson Trophy story