cleveland air races

7/29/2019 Cleveland Air Races

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Cleveland Air Races

In 1920, the idea of an Air Show first came to America from Europewhen Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, put up themoney for a race on Long Islands Mitchell Field. Pulitzers goal wasto reawaken interested in aviation, which was suffering from post WWI

apathy.

The event circulated to different cities for nine years and wasfinally brought to Cleveland in 1929 by a group of local businessmenheaded by Louis W. Greve and Frederick C. Crawford. Greve waspresident of the Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company, which made thehydraulic undercarriages that held the wheels on airplanes. Crawfordwas general manager and later president of Thompson Products Inc.,now a part of TRW Inc. Thompson Products developed the experimentalsodium-cooled valves, which enabled Charles Lindberghs Spirit of St.Louis to reach France.

The 1929 Cleveland National Air Races had full civic support not onlyfrom the City Manager W. R. Hopkins but from the Cleveland Chamber ofCommerce, major industries, the city and the nations military airarms. Numerous local business and hotels where approached tounderwrite the event and purchase entertainment tickets. Among thesupporters the Hotel Statler pledged $5,000. Companies which madeairplane parts were also asked to offer cash prizes for the variousraces.

The event was a 10-day (August 24 September 2) sensation settingthe highest standard for Air Shows with amazing demonstrations, size,duration and attendance. The inauguration ceremonies opened with adowntown parade that rivalled the Rose Bowl Tournament parade. Anestimated 300,000 spectators from all over the country watched 200floats, 21 bands and 1,500 marchers strut down Euclid Avenue as threeGoodyear blimps flew overhead. In conjunction with the Air Show, a$3,000,000 display of planes filled Clevelands Public Auditorium,5,000 pigeons were released on Public Square, and aerial acrobaticsand fireworks reigned over head. Over 100,000 spectators attended theopening day of the Air Races.

Hopkins (named after the city manager) opened four years earlier as"the first major municipal-owned airport in the world and covered1,050 acres. Its well-lighted runways and level surface free fromhazards made it an ideal location for such races. The city builtpermanent grandstands and there were hangers available for visitingaircraft. The airport was so large that the Air Races could takeplace without interfering in normal airport operations.


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In 1929, airplanes were still considered something of a sciencefiction fantasy, therefore the exciting flying events were reportedin newspapers around the world. The daily flying schedule included"dead stick" landing contests, glider demonstrations, Goodyear blimpflights, parachute jumping contests and military demonstrations. TheNavy High Hats, a formation team formed long before the Blue Angels,created a worldwide sensation by flying with their planes tiedtogether by one-inch ropes from wing-struts to wing struts. Even thelate Charles A. Lindbergh was in the show flying a Boeing biplane.There were also closed-course pylon races and cross-country racesfrom as far away as Log Angeles, Miami and Toronto; all timed toreach Cleveland on different days of the show. Women pilots,including the already famous Amelia Earhart, raced in a special"Powder Puff Derby" from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland.

But it was the closed-course racing that provided the most thrillsfor the fans in the stands. The Thompson Race, the first free-for-allclosed-course race, was five laps around a 10-mile circuit. "Smiling"Doug Davis, a civilian pilot from Atlanta won the race with anaverage speed of 194.9 miles per hour. The Thompson Trophy based onthe Greek Legend of Icarus who melted his feathered wings by flyingtoo close to the sun, became equal in stature to the Green Jacket ofthe Masters Golf Tournament. In turn the worlds top aviatorscompeted for the right to keep it for a year.

Six pilots were killed during the 1929 event. All but one died during

cross-country trips away from Hopkins Airport. Thomas Reid crashed innearby Fairview Park trying to set a new solo endurance record.

The Cleveland Air Races also had glittering social events eachevening, and filled the nations newspapers with pictures and storiesabout the glamorous personalities of the era. Cleveland truly was theaviation capital of the universe for those 10 days.

In 1930 the races were held in Chicago, but the National AeronauticalAssociation which licensed the races returned the show to Clevelandon the basis of its 1929 success. The Cleveland show had turned a

profit of $90,000. The only other show to ever do more than breakeven was Spokane, Washington, in 1927 with a profit of $485. By 1931the closed-course races and speed dashes had replaced most of thecross-country races. The Thompson Race first prize was increased to$7,500 which was a large sum of money during the Depression. But itwas the danger element, just like the Indy 500, which kept the crowdscoming back.

In 1934 the Depression had cut the purses and the show had shrunk to


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a Labour Day weekend festival, similar to todays Air Show. It wasalso in 1934 that the first closed-course racer, Doug Davis, wentdown. Daviss death allowed Roscoe Turner, the flamboyantbarnstormer, to win his first Thompson Race. Turner returned the nextyear, losing the Bendix race from Los Angeles to Cleveland by 23seconds to Benny Howard. Turner vowed to win the Thompson Race, whichhad been increased, to 10 laps around a 15-mile course. Over 85,000spectators watched Turner lead the race for eight laps. Then theblade on his Hornet engine snapped off. In a split second decision,Turner landed the smoking plane with a couple of bounces in front ofthe finish line stealing the show.

The Air Races continued to be successful despite the Depression.Therefore, the National Aeronautical Association gave Cleveland afive-year option on the event. However, in 1936, the expansion atHopkins forced the races to move to Los Angeles. The Thompson Racereturned the next year, and it proved to be the most exciting yet.Earl Ortman in his black Bromberg Special was battling RoscoeTurners plane neck and neck most of the race when Turners oil-splashed windshield made him think he had missed a pylon. As Turnerre-circled the pylon he fell behind Ortman. Ortman throttled backsaving his engine because he had thought he won. However, Rudy Kling,an auto mechanic from Illinois, raced past Ortman just as they passedthe finished line. Kling beat Ortman by an amazingly close time of256.858 to 256.910 miles per hour.

In 1938 the National Aeronautical Association announced rule changesto what was becoming known as the Cleveland Air Races. There wouldonly be two high-speed events, the Thompson and Greve races. The

qualifying races would decide the best starting positions. Once againthe Thompson Race was increased to 30 laps around a 10-mile course.In addition a record pre-war purse of $45,000 would be shared. Onlyeight planes qualified for what was billed as "300 miles of theworlds toughest flying." Roscoe Turner was again the favourite. Hewon his second Thompson Trophy when Ortman missed a pylon.

As the war took shape in Europe, it became difficult for the pilotsto gain financial support necessary for the increasinglysophisticated planes. Some pilots became creative. For example,Roscoe Turner travelled with a lion cub in his plane to generate

publicity and an image. However, after Turner won the Thompson Trophyfor the third time in 1939 (allowing him to keep the trophy), heannounced his retirement thus ending an era. In addition the militarywas withdrawing its support from the Air Show industry and there wereno new airplane designs. As America geared up its war machine theraces were discontinued.


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Over the years the publicized accidents and deaths linked with theraces were often blamed for hampering the airplanes evolution as ameans of transportation and communication. However, the racesstimulated engine and structural innovation, which helped America winthe war.

After the war the Aircraft Industrial Association, an aircraftmanufactures trade group, brought back the races to Los Angeles andCleveland to showcase the advances made during the war. Clevelandonce again obtained a five-year franchise for the event.

The planes developed during the war dwarfed older aircraft butpilots could obtain used fighter aircraft like surplus P-51s for aslittle as $1,000. The 1946 event had a jet division and large scalemilitary participation. Ninety pilots from across the country enteredtheir modified surplus planes. Competition was intense after theseven-year layoff and the planes plus pilots had to pass strictsafety/ability tests. Over 180,000 spectators paid to see Tex Johnsona 32 year old test pilot win the reciprocating engine (propeller)division at a speed of 373.908. That was 90 miles per hour fasterthan Roscoe Turners time in 1939.

For the next two years Captain Cook Cleland, a 29 year oldClevelander, former Thompson Products employee and WWII Navy flyingace became the man to beat. Cleland purchased two Navy Corsairfighter planes and modified them to win the 1947 and 1949 races.However the 1949 races were overshadowed by a tragedy. Bill Odam wasin pursuit of Cleland was his green Mustang banked too sharply aroundthe second pylon, cut inside the course, flipped upside down and

crashed into a Brea home, killing a young mother and her baby son. Itwas the first time that anyone other than a participant was killed.

Bill Odoms death marked the end of closed-course racing, and DefenceDepartment budget cuts halted military participation in future shows.After 20 years of thrills and spills the National Air Races closedits doors.

The present series of Air Shows at Burke Lakefront Airport began in1964 with the help of George Steinbrenner and Clevelands PortDirector, Noel Painchaud. In 1965 the second Greater Cleveland Air

Show featured the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army GoldenKnights and a fly-by of a Strategic Air Command Convair B-58 Hustlerfour-jet, supersonic bomber. In 1967, racing returned to Clevelandfor the first time in 18 years with a closed-course Formula I race.Fifty race pilots participated and the nations top aerobatic pilotson the program included Hal Krier, Bill Fornof, Charles Hillard andBob Hoover.

Since the late 60s, the Cleveland National Air Show has continued to


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bring the finest in aviation with the first baton pass between wingwalkers and the first Ohio appearance of the British AirwaysConcorde. Cleveland was also the first stop on the historic 1991Soviet MiG-29 Friendship Tour and has received the "Air Show of theYear" award from World Airshow News. The Air Show has become anannual Cleveland Labour Day Weekend tradition attracting over 100,000spectators and aviators from all over the world.

cleveland air races

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