Place	Pilot	Race No	Aircraft	Speed
1	Ben McKillen	57	F2G	386.069
2	Wilson Newhall	65	P-51	379.735
3	J.H.G. McArthur	80	Spitfire Mk X1V	359.565
4	Jack Hardwick	34	P-38	328.470
5	J.P. Hagerstrom	14	P-38	311.598
	James Hannon	2	P-51A	*
	H.S. Gidovlenko	25	P-38	**
	Anson Johnson	45	P-51D	***
	Cook Cleland	94	F2G	****

                                                                      *  Out 7th Lap
                                                        **  Out  3rd Lap
                                                       ***  Did not Start
                                                      ****  Did not Start

 

Ben McKillen receiving Tinnerman Trophy
(Bill Meixner Collection)

 

Place	Pilot	Race No	Aircraft	Speed
1	Grace Harris	44	AT-6	216.673
2	Katherine Landry	31	SNJ-3	214.876
3	Helen McBride	91	SNJ-3	210.097
4	Betty Skelton	45	AT-6A	208.594
*	Jane Page	28	CW-22B

                                                             *  Did not start

 

                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                       
                                   Grace Harris

 

          
         Grace Harris                                                                Katherine Landry
                 Don Berliner collection)                                                                                              (Don Berliner Collection)               
  

 

 

   

The Thompson Trophy Race
"R" Division


Cook  Cleland,  who  suffered  a  great  disappointment  in the 1948 Thompson Trophy Race  
when he and Becker were forced out  with mechanical problems worked very hard  preparing
  for  this  year's classic. Cleland and Becker would be joined by Ben McKillen in Cleland's third   
F2G. Becker's # 74  remained pretty much  the same. However  Cleland clipped another  four
 feet  from  each wing of  # 94  reducing  the span to 33 feet.  Wing  tip plates were  added  to
 increase  roll  rate  and  reduce wing-tip vortices. A hydrogen  peroxide injection  system  was
 installed but  it was never  used. The propeller blades were chrome plated and a large spinner
  added. Dick Becker in # 74 was the fastest qualifier at 414.592 mph. Unfortunately at  the very
   end of the qualifying run  gears stripped in the front case and Dick climbed for altitude thinking    
   he might  have to  jump. He  was able to make a  safe dead-stick landing. The rules prevented   
 a engine change after qualifying so the aircraft was withdrawn. Ron Puckett was back with  his
           F2G with a new paint job and the sub-rudder removed.                                                                     

The  most radically  modified racer  was the P-51C entered by Jackie Cochran and piloted by   
round-the-world record holder Bill Odom. This  P-51C was  modified by  then owner J.D. Reed
 of Houston Texas. Reed was the largest Beechcraft Dealer in the US and close friend of Walter
Beech.  Reed  very much  wanted  to  win  a  Thompson Trophy.  Beech came up with the idea
 to remove the glycol  and oil  radiators from  the belly of the airframe and to install  them out on
   the wingtips encased in pods to reduce the drag from the large original air scoop.                        
 
Anson Johnson,  last years winner was back with major modifications to the P-51D  Mustang.
  Johnson  also  removed  the  large   air scoop but  he took a different approach and placed the
   coolers inside the wing where the gun bays had been. Intake  scoops were installed in the wing
  leading edge and exhaust vents on top of the wing.                                                                 

Ben McKillen was given the pole position as the ten aircraft lined up for what would be the last
race-horse-start of  a  major race. McKillen was first off the ground and  led the  pack  for the
first lap. Bill Odom  was  seventh  off  the ground. By  the end of  the first  lap  he was in third
and closing on McKillen. Early in the   second lap  Odom and Beville were almost side by side
 when they both  turned pylon two. Beville leveled out heading for pylon three. when he noticed 
 that Odom had straightened out as he was headed for pylon four, Beville saw that Odom tried
   to recover but the P-51 went inverted and the nose was starting down.  Beville realized that with
 Odom  inverted with the nose starting down at this altitude and speed  there was  no chance of
   recovery. He saw Odom crash into a house. On lap three Cleland and Puckett  passed McKillen.
 
 Anson Johnson was unable to retract  his gear until  the  second  lap  which  caused  him  to fall
 behind. By  the ninth lap  seven of Johnson's  exhaust stacks had  burned   off  and  the  engine 
  was throwing oil,  and he retired. The  big engined Corsair's took  the  top three  places followed
  by  Beville in  # 77 P-51D , Tucker in  #30 P-63  and Hagerstrom in JD's  P-51D  # 37,  Newhall  
     in  P-51K # 65  and  Jim Hannon in  P-51A  # 2 .                                                                          

The house Bill Odom crashed into had been recently completed and the Laird family had only     
been in the house for only  five days. Jeanne, wife and mother was in the bathroom doing some
cleaning  and  was  not  interested  in watching  the  air races. Jeanne  died  instantly  From the
explosion. Gregg, the  infant was  in a  playpen  outside the  garage  when  the crash  occurred
and  was severely burned, Gregg died a  few hours later in the  hospital. Jeanne  died instantly  
  from the explosion. Bradley Laird and  their son  David were outside  playing catch and were not  
  injured. Many people, if not most,  believe that the tragic crash  taking three lives was the reason
the races ended  in Cleveland. Yes  it  did  have some  bearing on  future races  in  that  it  was
decided to eliminate the Military surplus plane sand try  to develop  new  classes of  owner-built
 machines. A new  course  was  laid out  and  the sanctions  were  approved.  The  two  principal
reasons it ended were; 1. as of June 1950 we were  now  at war in Korea and the Secretary  of
 Defense  informed  race officials that none of our military  services  would now send any  aircraft
or personnel. 2.The large building where the grandstands  were  located  was  converted  into a
 tank plant. The  grandstands  were removed and donated to a college. With no military presence
         and no site, the races could not continue.                                                                                          

 

Place	Pilot	Race No	Aircraft	Speed
1	Cook Cleland	94	F2G Corsair	397.071
2	Ron Puckett	18	F2G Corsair	393.527
3	Ben McKillen	57	F2G Corsair	387.589
4	Steve Beville	77	P-51D	381-214
5	Charles Tucker	30	P-63	378.340
6	James Hagerstrom	37	P-51D	372.719
7	Wilson Newhall	65	P-51K	372.320
8	James Hannon	2	P-51A	300.396
*	Anson Johnson	45	P-51D
**	Bill Odom	7	P-51C

                                     * Out 9th lap gear and exhaust stack problems
                                    ** Crashed 2nd lap fatal                     

 

 

 

 

 

Cook Cleland with Roscoe Turner (L) and Fred Crawford (R)



 

            
  Cook Cleland                                                              Ron Puckett
                                                                                           (Robert Smith Photo)         

                                                                                          
           
                           Ben McKillen                                                                    Steve Beville                                
                         (H G Martin Photo)                                                                                                       (Bill Meixner Collection)                                    

 

 

             
             Charles Tucker                                                              James Hagerstrom            
                                                                                    (Robert Smith Photo)

              
  Wilson Newhall                                                                        James Hannon
                                                                                               (John Dienst Collection)

               
   Anson Johnson                                                                            Bill Odom             
     (Bill Meixner Collection)                                                                           (John Dienst Collection)                   

 

 

      The Thompson Trophy Race
"J" Division

  Four  Air  Force F-86A Sabers  were entered in the "J" Division  of  the  Thompson Trophy
   Race but one was unable to start due to engine trouble. The three flew the five mile course
   at  such high  speeds that it was estimated that they actually flew 25 miles each lap. During
    the second lap Captain Vernon Henderson pulled out of the race after a high "G" turn broke  
      the  bolts holding  the  seat  in  place.  Captain Vernon  was  able to control  the jet while in a
   crouching  position to make a safe landing. Captain Johansen  also had a problem  when a  
10  x  16 inch   inspection  door  flew open on  the left  wing  causing  considerable  drag,
Johansen  had just taken the lead when a check of his fuel supply required him to throttle
 back thereby losing  his lead. When he  landed he did  not  have enough fuel left to taxi to
 the  hangars. Captain Cunningham was doing well until he made the last high speed turn,  
  that's when most of his elevator was torn off causing him to consider  ejecting the aircraft.