Dole Air Race

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The Dole Air Race (also known as the Dole Derby ) was a competition for pilots held in August 1927. The premium of 25,000 dollars was for the first non-stop flight from California to Hawaii have been exposed. Initially, 33 pilots applied to participate, 14 pilots were admitted. There were already three deaths before the start of the competition, and another seven victims were to be lamented as a result. Only two teams made it safely to Hawaii.

James D. Dole

history

Inspired by Charles Lindbergh's first successful solo crossing of the Atlantic , the pineapple magnate James Dole offered an award for the first non-stop flight from Oakland to Honolulu in Hawaii in 1927 . The flight distance to be covered was 3,870 kilometers. Since the destination was on an island, precise navigation was of great importance. The winner was awarded $ 25,000, and second place was still $ 10,000.

A flight over this route had already taken place twice. On June 28, 1927, a three-engine Atlantic-Fokker C-2 of the US Air Force with the crew of Lester J. Maitland and Albert F. Hegenberger managed the route from Oakland to Oahu in just under 26 hours. A second attempt by Ernie Smith and Emory Bronte resulted in a crash landing on Molokai . Dole disqualified both teams because the landings did not take place in Honolulu.

Of the 33 applications received, 14 teams were finally admitted. Even before the start of the competition there were three fatalities on the way to Oakland. Some machines did not reach the starting point due to technical defects. Ultimately, the list of participants at the beginning of the competition on August 16, 1927 consisted of eight aircraft.

Front page of the San Francisco Chronicle dated August 18, 1927

Attendees

  • Pabco Flyer , a Breese Wilde 5 monoplane , pilot and navigator Livingston Gilson Irving
  • Woolaroc , a modified Travel Air 5000 monoplane , pilot Arthur C. Goebel , navigator William V. Davis Jr.
  • Oklahoma , a modified Travel Air 5000, pilot Bennett Griffin, navigator Al Henley
  • Aloha , a Breese-Wilde 5, pilot Martin Jensen, navigator Paul Schluter
  • El Encanto , a Goddard special monoplane, pilots Norman A. Goddard and Kenneth C. Hawkins
  • Golden Eagle , a Lockheed Vega 1 , pilot Jack Frost, navigator Gordon Scott
  • Miss Doran , a Buhl CA-5 Air Sedan, pilot Auggy Pedlar, navigator Vilas R. Knope, passenger Mildred Doran
  • Dallas Spirit , a swallow monoplane, pilot William Portwood Erwin, navigator Alvin Eichwaldt

course

An estimated 75,000 to 100,000 spectators watched the start of the competitors. Oklahoma , the first to take off, had to abort the flight early due to an overheated engine. Two other competitors ( El Encanto and Pabco Flyer ) failed at the start. Golden Eagle and Miss Doran finally got off to a start. The Dallas Spirit had to return to Oakland with a crack in its hull. Aloha and Woolaroc took off without incident.

The Woolaroc flew between 4,000 and 6,000 feet . Navigator Davis used sextants and smoke bombs to calculate course and drift . Goebel and Davis crossed the finish line in 26 hours and 17 minutes and won first prize. The aloha took 28 hours and 16 minutes. Jensen and Schluter received the second prize.

Golden Eagle and Miss Doran remain missing to this day.

Museum reception

The winner's plane, the Woolaroc , is on view today at the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve in Bartlesville , Oklahoma .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dole Derby. Accessed December 26, 2018 .
  2. ^ The Ill Fated Dole Air Race of 1927. Retrieved December 26, 2018 .
  3. ^ Woolaroc Museum. Retrieved January 23, 2019 .

Web links

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