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1946 National Air Races

By Bill Meixner

 

 

Time had run out for the National Air Races in 1939 as the ten year deed of gift by Charles E. Thompson
to sponsor the big unlimited classic expired and Germany's Adolph Hitler's troops marched into Poland.
America would be busy manufacturing and testing new aircraft for the many European countries who did
not  have  the capability  to  develop  and  produce  aircraft  that  could compete  against  the  Axis.  The
Henderson  brothers who managed the races decided they  would  pursue other interests. Even  the  site
 of the  great grandstands  would soon  be  taken over to build  the  NACA test facility. Perhaps what was
  learned  by  the experience of  the men who designed and  flew the racers at the National Air races had
a major impact on  achieving  air superiority  over  the far  advanced  German Luftwaffe  in  a short time.
  Many  race pilots,  either directly or  indirectly  made  major  contributions. In 1945,  following  the  end of
WW II,  the  Cleveland Air  Foundation  was  established. in  January  of  1946  the  Air  Foundation of
Cleveland sponsored the first National Aircraft Show that featured a B-29 used in combat and an array
of  private aircraft  reminiscent  of the 1929 Aeronautical  Exposition. Ben Franklin,  managing  director
of the air races  stated there would be no foreign participants. The new site for the grandstands would
  be directly in front of the Bomber Plant building using the two adjacent hangars (currently being used
by   the Army Air Corps as Schlegel Field) to impound the racers after qualifying and until race time.
 A number of  pre-war  race pilots and air show  performers returned  to Cleveland  in1946, some as
  participants and many as judges and advisors.
 

 

 

No doubt the largest military presence on record at an air show was in Cleveland to give the
public a first hand look at the latest combat aircraft developed during the six years since the
 last  air race here in 1939. General Spaatz,  commander of the Army  Air  Corps was here to 
watch the show as the public was treated to the introduction of the "jet age" with the Lockheed
P-80 "Shooting Stars" also known as "yo-yo's' because they could go straight up and straight
down. The Chief  of  Naval Operations,  Admiral Nimitz for the United States  Navy  was  here.
The Army Air Corps  opened  each  days program  with a flight of 20 B-29 Superfortresses in
tight formation. Also the US Navy and the Marines Corps also gave the public a "good show".

 

 


 

A  few  months  prior to the opening of  the  Air Races,  Admiral  Chester  Nimitz,  ordered the
formation  of  a US  Navy  demonstration  team  to  boost  Navy  morale and demonstrate naval
 air  power. The  team  had  just  transitioned  from  F-6 Hellcats  to  the  newer  F8 Bearcats  on
August 25th. Cleveland was one of the first to see them. The underlying  mission was to generate
 public and  political support for a larger allocation of the shrinking defense budget. The team was
  assembled  and trained  in  a hurry in fear  US Air Corps General  Jimmy  Doolittle might create a
 similar demo team and beat the Navy going public. The team would be named the "Blue Angels".

 

 

The United States Marine Corps demonstrated their new aircraft, the Ryan "Fireball"
the first  aircraft to be equipped  with  both a conventional  engine and  a  jet engine.

 


Troop Carrier Command C-47 demonstrates a glider pick-up.
(Kenn Smith Collection)





Bendix Trophy Race


The Bendix Trophy Race now flown in two divisions, R-division for reciprocating engines
and the J-division for the jet engines flown by the military. The R-division attracted some
22 entries, 4 N. American P-51's, 14 Lockheed P-38's, 2 Bell P-63's, Goodyear FG1
and a Douglas A-26. Most were seasoned pilots except for 18 year old Bill Lear jr.
Veteran Bendix pilots were Paul Mantz and Jacqueline Cochran. One of the first-timers
was famous Indianapolis 500 race car driver Rex Mays.

 




The pre to post war Bendix Race was a major change from designer-builder- pilots
to skilled airmen able to push their already state of the art machines to new limits.
The race launch was  moved from Burbank to the Van Nuys Airport  for the  longer
runway and  additional  ramp space  for the  22  entries.  Last minute preparations
for   those  unable  to  find  hangar  space were  conducted  along  a  blast  fence.
Paul  Mantz, who flew the  pre-war  Bendix by now had a sizeable  fleet of  aircraft
including several P-51's. Mantz choose a "B" model as it was faster than the "D"
model with it's bubble canopy. Mantz consulted with his friend Lockheed Engineer
Kelly Johnson to determine how to fly the route non-stop. Johnson advised him to
"wet the wings", fill all the openings, seal the inside and fill the wings with gasoline.
With  875 gallons  of  super  cold gasoline Mantz was able to fly non-stop and win.


 

Bendix "R" division

   Place        Pilot  Race No   Aircraft    Speed   Time
     1  Paul Mantz       46   P-51C    435.50   4:43:14
     2  Jackie Cochran       13   P-51B    420.92   4:52:00
     3  Thomas Mayson       60   P-51C    408.22   5:01:05
     4   William Eddy       31   P-51D    373.25   5:29:18
     5   James Harp       95    F-5    370.44   5:31:47
     6   Donald Husted       45   A-26C    367.88   5:34:06
     7  Charles Tucker       30   P-63C    367.14   5:34:46
     8  Harvey Hughes       70    F-5    356.42   5:44:50
     9  Walter Bullock       50    F-5G    355.90   5:45:21
    10  Harold Johnson       63    F-5G    343.38   5:57:57
    11  John Carroll       22    P-38    337.88   6:03:46
    12  H. L. Marshal       99    F-5G    335.93   6:05:52
    13  Rex Mays       55    F-5G    327.52   6:15:16
    14  William Lear Jr,       71    F-5G    327.10   6:15:46
    15  Thomas Call       90   FG-1D    325.61   6:17:29
    16  W. A. Fairbrother       58    P-38J    325.29   6:17:53
    17  Andrew Grant       82    F-5G    261.66   7:49:44
      *  John Shields       36    P-38    
     **  Spiro Dilles       47    P-63C    
    ***  Herman Salmon       74    P-38L    
   ****  Hasson Calloway       48    P-38    
   ******  John Yandell       11    P-38    

                                                         *        Landed late
                                                         **      Out, Winslow AZ
                                                        ***      Returned, mechanical problem
                                                        ****    Out, Toledo OH
                                                       *****   Out, Hutchinson KS


                       

                              Paul Mantz P-51C                                                                                              Jackie Cochran P-51B

 

                     

                       Tom Mayson P-51C                                                                                                      William Eddy P-51D

                  

                          James Harp F-5                                                                                                      Donald Huster A-26C
 

             

                            Charles Tucker P-63C                                                                                                Harvey Hughes F-5

 

             

                               Walter Bullock F-5G                                                                                       Harold Johnson F-5G

                                                                                                                                      

             

                       John Carroll F-5                                                                                                         H L Marshal F-5G

 

             

                              Rex Mays F-5G                                                                                                 William Lear Jr. F-5G

 

                 

                        Thomas Call F4U                                                                                           W A Fairbrother P-38J

 

              

                           Andrew Grant F-5G                                                                                                    John Shields F-5G

 

              

                                   John Shields F-5G                                                                                        Spiro Dilles P-63

                             

                             Herman Salmon P-38L                                                                                                 John Yandell P-38

 

                                                          

                                                                                                   Hasson Calloway P-38

 

Bendix "J" Division   

   Place    Pilot  Race No  Speed  Time
      1  Col. Leon Gray     PN 465  494.779  4:08:25
      2  Maj. George Ruddell     PN 347  474.836  4:18:51.2
       Maj, Barber            1
       Maj. Loofburrow            2

                                                                                         1 Out in Kansas, engine trouble.
                                                                                         2 Out in Kansas, engine trouble.

 

                                                       

                                                                                             Col. Leon Gray's FP-80A

 

Halle Trophy Race (Women)
75 miles, 5 laps of a 15 mile course

  Place      Pilot   Race No      Aircraft    Speed
     1   Marge Hurlburt      81      AT-6    200.588
     2   Jane Page      54      AT-6    200.462
     3    Ruth Johnson      41      AT-6    196.221
     4    Arlene Davis      35      SNJ-3    191.098
     5    Dot Lemon      72      AT-6    109.007

 



Marge Hurlburt and her AT-6

 

SOHIO Trophy Race
240 Miles  8 laps of 30 mile course

      Place      Pilot   Race No        Aircraft              Speed
      1    Dale Fulton        61       P-51D            352.781
      2    William Ong        44       P-51D            345.867
      3    Jack Hardwick        34       F-5G            322.625
      4    Wilson Newhall        65       P-63C            310.545
      5    Earl Ortman         2       P-38            303.909
      6  James De Santo        51       F-5D            303.682
      7    Charles Bing        12      P-39Q            276.135



                                          

                                           Dale Fulton P-51D                                                                                 Bill Ong P-51D


                                               

                                       Jack Hardwick  F-5G                                                                    Wilson Newhall P-63C

 

                                            

                                              Earl Ortman P-51D                                                                DeSanto F-5F

 

                                                                                

                                                                                                    Charles Bing P-39Q

  
                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                 

                                                            

 

The Thompson Trophy Race

 

There were many elements of the 1946 Thompson Trophy Race that differed from 1939.
New grandstands had to be constructed as the old ones no longer existed. The site had
to be chosen as the NACA laboratory had been built on the site of the pre-war grandstands.
The huge bomber plant complex proved to be ideal location for the spectators and the planes.
The grandstands would be placed next to the north wall of the huge building and the adjacent
hangars now being used by the Army Air Corps Reserve known as Schlegel Field. The large
parking lot and open surrounding fields provided plenty of parking space. The double hangars
were used to impound the planes after they qualified. A new race course was laid out south and
east of the grandstands to avoid flying over homes. Home pylon was placed next to the hangars.

 

Home pylon was the only conventional type pylon as US Army barrage balloon's were used
to mark the balance of the quadrangular 30 mile race course.

 

 

Three pre war race pilots returned to fly ex WW II fighter planes, Tony LeVier, Earl Ortman
and   Steve Wittman, all of them with a lot of experience   flying a race course. Joining them
would   be a number of test pilots, some of them helping to develop the very aircraft entered
in the Thompson Trophy Race. Some of the pilots with thousands of hours flying war planes.
Also on hand were pre war race pilots who would be judges, timers and advisors like Benny
Howard,  Art Chester   and Roscoe Turner who were  a   great asset. Fred Crawford would
again  play a   very important role in      the resumption of the National Air Races. A problem
with the Thompson Trophy  would   arise due to the fact that Roscoe Turner had the original
plus  the   fact there would be two "divisions" of the race, one for prop planes or "R" division
and the "J" division for the new jet aircraft. Two new trophy's had to be created, one for each.

Bell  Aircraft's Jack  Woolams  and  Alvin "Tex"  Johnson entered a pair of modified P-39
 Airacobra's.  Woolams  red  "Cobra I" and  Johnson's  bright  yellow  "Cobra II"  qualified
at  the top of  the  list. Woolams  unhappy with  his engine  flew back  to the factory  for a
 replacement. During a testflight "Cobra I" crashed into Lake Ontario killing Jack Woolams.


"Cobra I" & "Cobra II" at the Bell Factory
Courtesy of Mark Erickson
 

Thompson "R" division
300 miles 10 laps of a 30 mile course

  Place           Pilot  Race No      Aircraft          Speed
     1     Alvin "Tex" Johnson       84     P-39Q         373.908
     2      Tony LeVier        3     P-38L         370.193
     3      Earl Ortman        2     P-51D         367.625
     4      Bruce Raymond       77     P-51D         364.655
     5      Robert Swanson       80     P-51D         362.052
     6      Cook Cleland       92     FG-1D         357.465
     7     Woody Edmundson       42     P-51D         354.395
     8      Steve Wittman        4     P-63C         341.225
     9      Howard Lilly       64     P-63A         328.154
    10      H L Pemberton       21     P-63F         304.406
      *      Charles Tucker       28     P-63C  
     **      George Welch       37     P-51D  

                                                              *         Out 1st lap gear stuck
                                                             **         Out 2nd lap engine problem

 

                                        

                                                                 "Tex" Johnson P-39Q                                                  Tony LeVier  P-38L                                                

 

                                                      

                                                        Earl Ortman P-51D                                                                                             Bruce Raymond P-51D

 

                                                             

                                                           Robert Swanson P-51D                                                                                  Cook Cleland Goodyear FG -1D

 

                                                      

                         Woody Edmonson P-51D                                                                                        Steve Wittman P-63

 

                                                             

                                                                 Howard Lilly P-63                                                                  H. L.  Pemberton P-63

 

                                                           

                                                                    Charles Tucker P-63                                                               George Welch P- 51D

 

                                                                                                         Thompson "J" division 
                                                                                        

  Place       Pilot      Race No                    
       Aircraft		                Av. Speed
      1  Maj. Gus Lindquist      PN 123         P-80A                515.853
      2  Maj. Robin Olds      PN 027         P-80A                514.715
      3  Capt. A.M. Fell      PN 309         P-80A               509.382
      4  Capt J.E. Sullivan      PN 247         P-80A               470.048
   Lt. Col. R.L. Petit      PN 069         P-80A                     1
   Maj. R.O. Chilstrom      PN 044         P-80A                     2

                                                              1  cut a pylon, disqualified
                                                              2  Out on 3rd lap, mechanical                                       

                                                
                                         

   

Maj. Gus Lundquist
(Kevin Grantham collection)

Maj. Robin Olds
(Kevin Grantham collection)

 



Capt. J. E. Sullivan
(Kenn Smith Collection)



Photo's are from the Hansen collection unless otherwise noted.

 

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Updated Thursday, January 26, 2012