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. 

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  Marie De Ville
a regular singer on radio station WTAM.

                                     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.

                                                               
                                                                                       
                                                                                       (Mark Braunich collection)                                                                 

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

                  
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
                                                   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