1934 National Air Races
By Bill Meixner

   The 1934 National Air Races were back at Cleveland's Municipal Airport 
  condensing a ten day program into four days, which proved to be very 
               successful at the1933 NAR held in Los Angeles.  The event celebrated the 25th
              anniversary of the first Air Race, held in Reims France. The major race of that
             seven day program was the Gordon Bennett Trophy Race, which was a race 
                against the clock as opposed to a pylon race. The winner against all odds, was
          American, Glenn Curtiss whose name in aviation would become well known
   for decades. 



  
    
   Glenn Curtiss built racer

 

          Record crowds some estimated about 100,000 on Labor day for the "big" race,
The Thompson Trophy Race. Doug Davis who won the Transcontinental 
              Bendix Race  (LA to Cleveland)  told race officials the  Thompson Trophy  course 
             was too short and needed to be lengthened to ten miles "before someone was  
                     killed".  Unfortunately this prediction would come true on lap number eight when Davis 
               crashed to his death while rounding a pylon for the second time after "cutting" the 
                         pylon out of view of the grandstands placed on Gessner Rd. in Fairview Park Village.   
                                

       

 

             
              Cliff  Henderson, Managing Director
             Phil Henderson, Business Manager
                  with a "Official Car"

             The participation of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps was greatly 
             expanded. The Army sent the 1st Pursuit Group from Selfridge Field
     and the "Three Musketeers" from Maxwell Field which included
         Captain Claire Chennault who went on to lead the "Flying Tigers".
                 The Navy sent the "Sea Hawks" from San Diego and the Marine Corps
  sent two complete Squadrons from Quantico.    

       

                Bendix Trophy Race

                   Early in the year Jimmy Wedell lost his life in a training accident in Louisiana.
              Doug Davis was chosen to fly Jimmy's #44 in the Bendix , winning the race.
                 Worthen would have won the race flying the new Wedell-Williams that Jimmy
                    designed before his untimely death, however he flew past Cleveland and had to
                    return costing him the race. Lee Gehlbach flying the QED had to make several
                       stops to tighten the engine cowl and he landed in Cleveland after the 6 p.m. limit.

 

                                                                        
            #44 1934.jpg (49964 bytes)  
                             1934 Bendix Trophy Winner #44 Wedell-Williams  
                 
           #45 WW 1934.jpg (36414 bytes)                 QED '34 Bendix .jpg (30765 bytes)
                    2nd place Bendix Trophy Winner #45 W-W             Model R6H QED Did not finish in time
                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                            

 Place       Pilot Race No   Aircraft    Time
     1 Doug Davis      44 Wedell Williams      9:26 
     2 John Worthon      45 Wedell Williams     10:03
     3 Lee Gehlbach      77 Granville QED        1.
    -- Jackie Cochran        -- Northrop Gamma        2.
    -- Wiley Post        -- Winnie Mae        3.
    --   Roscoe Turner        -- Wedell Williams        4.

   1. Finished after 6:00 Engine cowl problems.
              2. Encountered violent weather returned to Burbank.
       3. Engine problems, down at Purdue University.
            4. Did not start due to fuel leaks.  Set cross country 
         record next day.

          Greve Trophy Race

             The 1934 Cleveland National Air Races added a new class of restricted
              cubic inch displacement engines into the line up. The Greve Trophy Race,
               sponsored by The Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Co. Manufacturers of aircraft
                   landing gear components, honored it's President Louis Greve. The race flown
                     in three heats decided by total number of points.

       Greve--Miles 1934 .jpg (714832 bytes)
             Lee Miles winner of the first Greve Trophy

                                                                                        

Place on Points        Pilot Race No      Aircraft
       First     Lee Miles       6   Miles & Atwood
Tied for second  Roger Don Rae      131   Keith-Rider R-1
Tied for second    Art Chester       15   Chester Special
      Third    H. Neumann       39   Howard "Ike"
     Forth      Roy Minor       33    Brown B-2

 

          Thompson_color_small.jpg (4318 bytes)

         Thompson Trophy Race

                   The seven starters of the Thompson included the new Brown-built "Miss Los Angeles"
          flown by Roy Minor and winner of the Greve Trophy Race. Art Chester who was
            absent from last years National Air Races entered his new Chester Special known
        as "Jeep". Doug Davis winner of the Bendix was flying the Wedell-Williams #44
                 was leading by a good margin, however on the eight lap David cut a pylon Southwest
                      and out of view of the grandstands, while he attempted to re-cirCle the pylon, the Wedell
               went down killing Davis. Turner who trailed Davis went on to win his first Thompson
        Trophy Race.  

                                                                                                                                              

   

             Roscoe Turner wins the Thompson Trophy

 

     #57 Turner 1934.jpg (61219 bytes)
             Roscoe's winning Hornet powered Wedell-Williams

 

           #33 Misss LA 150 .jpg (99727 bytes)                  #92 W-W 300 15%.jpg (25989 bytes)                
        Roy Minor's Brown B-2 "Miss Los Angeles"        J.A. Worthen  Flying Wedell-Williams #92        
                                                                                                       

                                                                                                 

  #39 IKE 150 .jpg (49173 bytes)           #131 Keith Rider 150 .jpg (49531 bytes)
 Harold Neumann & Howard's "Ike"         Roger Don Rae and Keith Rider 131


      #15 Chester 300 15%.jpg (26625 bytes)               #6 M&A 150 .jpg (38886 bytes)
        Art Chester's "Chester Special"                 Lee Miles'  "Miles & Atwood Special

 

 

   Place       Pilot  Race No         Aircraft    Speed
       1 Roscoe Turner              57  Wedell-Williams    248.129
       2 Roy Minor       33    Brown-B-2    214.929
       3 J A Worthen       92  Wedell-Williams    208.376
       4 H. Neumann       39    Howard "Mike"    209.103
       5 Roger Don Rae      131   Keith Rider R-1    205.358
       6   Art Chester       15  Chester Special    191.597

 

                    Hornet #58 small .jpg (190488 bytes)
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Updated Monday, February 18, 2013