1932 National Air Races
By Bill Meixner
The 1932 National Air Races were again held in Cleveland Ohio August 27
to September 5. Many new race planes were entered this year to dramatically
raise the interest level and attract more visitors. The Bendix race from
Burbank CA to Cleveland would feature four new aircraft with identical
engines
and well qualified pilots. There would also be six other cross-country races on
the
on the program. Twenty one closed-course races including the Thompson Trophy
Race for men and the Aerol Trophy Race for Women. Two speed dashes were
again included on the program.
1932 Official ribbon
1932
Logo
The line-up for the Bendix would feature three Wedell-Williams's
model 44's and
a Granville Brother's Gee-Bee Super-Sportster model R-2.
#92 Jimmy Haizlip
#121 Roscoe
Turner
#44 Jimmy Wedell
#7 Lee Gehlbach
Haizlip wins Bendix in 8:19 hours
Jimmy being congratulated by Amelia Earhart
Bendix Trophy Race
| Place | Pilot | Race No | Aircraft | Time |
| 1 | Jimmy Haizlip | 92 | Wedell Williams | 8.19 |
| 2 | Jimmy Wedell | 44 | Wedell Williams | 8.47 |
| 3 | Roscoe Turner | 121 | Wedell Williams | 9.02 |
| 4 | Lee Gehlbach | 7 | Gee-Bee R-2 | 9.41 |
| 5 | Claire Vance | 61 | Vance Flying Wing | 1 |
| 7 | Frank Hawks | 13 | Northrop Gamma | 2 |
| 8 | Frank Lynch | -- | Hall Cicada | 3 |
| 9 | Robert Hall | 6 | Hall Bulldog | 4 |
| 10 | Jimmy Doolittle | 400 | Laird Super Solution | 5 |
1 Out fuel leak returned to Burbank
2 Did not start
3 Did not start
4 Did not start
5 Did not start
A host of new aircraft were introduced this year in the closed-course events.
Benny Howard was back with two almost identical, Menasco powered racers.
Howard "Ike"
Benny Howard & "Mike"
Bob Hall chief engineer and designer for the Granville brothers, who designed the Gee Bee
model
"Z", winner of the 1931 Thompson Trophy designed the "Bulldog" for the
Thompson and
the
"Cicada" for the Bendix. Both planes were plagued with engine problems. Bob flew
the
"Bulldog to disappointing 6th in the Thompson. The "Cicada" did not start
the Bendix.
Sometime after the Thompson the engine and prop were removed and returned to the
manufacturer's. The "Cicada" crashed and burned.
"Bulldog"
"Cicada"
Other new racers to appear this year
Gordon
Israel's "Redhead" Keith Rider "San Francisco"
Program Cover
Parachute jumping
demonstrations and pin-point
landing contests were big crowd pleasers.
While the idea was to land in a
prescribed circle
in front of the grandstands, it was not
uncommon
for some to land in the grandstands or in
the
parking lot.
Shell 3-Kilometer Speed Dash
| Men's Trophy | Women's Trophy |
| Jimmy Doolittle | Mae Haizlip |
Jimmy Doolittle
with Gee-Bee R-1
Mary Haizlip with W-W #92
Thompson Trophy Race
| Place | Pilot | Race No | Aircraft | Avg.Speed |
| 1 | Jimmy Doolittle | 11 | Geebee "R-1" | 252.6 |
| 2 | James Wedell | 44 | Wedell Williams | 242.4 |
| 3 | Roscoe Turner | 121 | Wedell Williams | 233.0 |
| 4 | Jimmy Haizlip | 92 | Wedell Williams | 231.3 |
| 5 | Lee Gehlbach | 7 | Gee Bee "R-2" | 222.0 |
| 6 | Bob Hall | 6 | Hall "Bulldog" | 215.5 |
| 7 | William Ong | 39 | Howard "Ike" | 191.0 |
| 8 | Ray Moore | 131 | Keith-Rider R-1 | 1 |
1 Out engine problem Lap 3
The success of the Granville Brothers Model "Z", winning the 1931
Thompson
encouraged them to build two new racers for 1932. One for the Thompson (R-1)
and one for the Bendix (R-2). While they were basically the same design, the R-1
had a larger engine and a smaller gas tank than the R-2. When Jimmy Doolittle's
Laird was damaged due to a landing
gear failure and Russell Boardman
(original pilot for R-1) was injured in a crash,
Doolittle became the pilot.
The Gee-Bee took an early lead and went on to win.
Gee-Bee R-1
Aerol Trophy
Aerol Trophy Race
| Place | Pilot | Race No | Aircraft | Avg.Speed |
| 1 | Gladys O'Donnell | 38 | Howard "Mike" | 185.5 |
| 2 | Mae Haizlip | 92 | Wedell-Williams | 183.1 |
| 3 | F. Klingensmith | 14 | Monocoupe | 174.0 |
| 4 | Betty Lund | --- | Waco | 101.0 |
The ladies entered in the Aerol Trophy Race showed great courage
and
skill as they took off into and approaching thunderstorm. A severe storm
hit the Cleveland Airport while they were flying the third lap. Despite the storm
they continued flying until race officials brought them down. Winners were declared
in the positions they held when the race was called off. Gladys O'Donnell had
never flown, or even taxied, the Howard "Mike" before the race.
Gladys O'Donnell
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Updated Wednesday, May 21, 2008