CoolPix: Gee Bee R-1 After Winning 1932 Thompson Trophy (+ Desktop Pix & Delmar Video)

(click pic for hi-res) Gee Bee R-1 after Jimmy Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy

 I'm convinced I should have been born in 1909... that would have made me 23 in 1932, a perfect age to be wowed by Jimmy Doolittle winning the Thompson Trophy race (closed course, 10 laps) in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. You might not agree, but I think there is something incredibly magical about airplanes made of steel tube and fabric, and powered by loud awesome-sounding radial engines that bleed a lot of oil. Wow, this is real air racing!

 And air racing was a huge spectator sport back in these days. Why would it not be? These airplanes and the people who flew them were like the rocket ships and astronauts of the 60's. Just imagine that by 1932, less then 30 years since the Wright brothers had lifted off the rail at Kitty Hawk, we had aviation pioneers building and racing airplanes that were able to fly at speeds of 300 mph. An interesting side note here is that seaplanes that raced in the Schneider Trophy races passed thru the 300 mph mark somewhat earlier in 1928. It would seem that having a runway of water that is both essentially endless and allows for wind-always-on-the-nose takeoffs and landings allowed these airplanes to be designed for maximum speed in ways that weren't as practical for aircraft operating off the land. As aircraft design progressed and piloting skills increased, the land planes finally took over the speed records again by 1939.

 My quest for more knowledge and accurate history about Golden Age of Air Racing aircraft is just getting started. Fortunately I have several books printed many years ago that chronicle much of what went on back in the 30's, and as I have more time to soak it up, I'll share some interesting details here. But for now you get a really sweet CoolPix of the Gee Bee R-1 being shown off like a race horse after its win with Jimmy Doolittle at the controls with a speed of 252 mpg in the Thompson Trophy race of 1932.

 I've also sized this image for desktop use on your computer in several of the common sizes, and then at the bottom of the page is a really great video of Delmar Benjamin flying his Gee Bee R-2 replica at the 1996 Cleveland National Airshow. (I'm working to gather MUCH more info on Delmar's incredible accomplishments doing low-level aerobatics with his R-2 replica... stay tuned!) Click here to see a pic of the retired replica at the fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City , Florida. 

Gee Bee R-1 1932 Thompson Trophy desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images

Jimmy Doolittle, The Curtiss R3C-2 And The Schneider Trophy Air Race (1925)

Jimmy Doolittle in the Curtiss R3C-2 that he won the 1925 Schneider Cup race with

 The same Jimmy Doolittle that led the raid on Tokyo in 1942 (that we just remembered with the 70th reunion) also won the Schneider Cup air race in this Curtiss R3C-2 about 17 years earlier. He was an amazing man and pilot living in an amazing era... an era that I admit I wish I had been born to live in. Aviation from the 20's thru the 50's evolved in way that I honestly find hard to believe. And seeing airplanes like this Curtiss R3C-2 stirs my emotions in a way that honestly that no airplane designed in the 60 years can do. So many of the aircraft designed and built in the 20's and 30's have something that I believe is very, very special deep in their DNA. It's a Rocketeer quality of design and construction that today's aluminum or composite flying machines can't come close to touching. You may not agree, but to me, THOSE were the days!

 So this post is really about celebrating the design mentality that conceived and built a water-cooled, 665hp V-12 powered floatplane that looked stunning from every angle. Oh, and in 1925, the R3C-1 version (with wheels instead of floats) was the fastest airplane in the world at 248.9 mph! Interestingly, that wheeled version set a record that was only about 3 mph faster than the best record set by Doolittle in the float version at 245.7 mph.

 I've included two short videos here that I found with actual Schneider Cup racing footage. I find this to be incredible imagery to watch. To think of how far aviation had come in such a short time literally boggles my mind. I hope you get something out of all this incredible history that took place just 22 years after the Wright Brothers.

 Lastly, the RC3-2 was actually a military aircraft, and you can see a CoolPix of it with Jimmy Doolittle here that I posted back in July of 2010. And, if you wanna see the real thing, good news... it's at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. (more R3C-2 info here on the NASM blog)

Shorpy.com Image: Intrepid Aviators Circa 1911 - Hang On!

(click pic for hi-res)  The early days of aviation, and no seat belts!  From shorpy.com

 When you click the image above you'll get a big hi-res version over at shorpy.com, and it'll give you a really up close view of these two intrepid aviators believed to be somewhere near Washington D.C. and around the year 1911. The expressions on their faces are really interesting to me, along with the idea that there doesn't appear to be seat belts of any kind installed! I've never studied the issue of aircraft seat belts, but I believe it was pretty common in that era to simply trust in the idea of 'hang on'. 

 Those expressions almost look like something out of a crazy old movie, one of those over-acted comedies, but there's every reason to believe this is all for real. Imagine the thoughts going thru their heads as they are about to light the fire on that water-cooled engine swinging a huge pusher prop. The pilot looks confident and eager while the young lady looks a little less sure of it all but still somewhat confident as seen in the relatively comfortable way she is holding onto the airplane structure. And of course the fabric strap tied around the bottom of her dress is a fascinating insight into the entire thought process related to early open-air aircraft flying.

 Early aviators were either amazing adventurers or remarkably clueless people, or maybe a little of both. But it's hard not to be impressed with people like these two who are about to go experience the wonder of flight. They probably had no idea of the incredible trail they blazing.

 Be sure to click the pic to see the hi-res version of the image along with a few more details. And while you're there at shorpy.com, take some time and explore their fascinating hi-res image world of life in the last 100 years.

Shorpy.com Image: Charles And Anne Morrow Lindbergh 1929

Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh in 1929 - from Shorpy.com  (click pic for hi-res)

 I'm thinking this will become a regular feature: helping you to find amazing historic aviation-related images from the massive Shorpy.com database of hi-def images showcasing life on earth (predominately between 1850 and 1950). I find it really interesting seeing Charles Lindbergh and his pilot wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh in this photo from 1929. This would be two years after his historic Spirit of St. Louis flight, and was actually not long after the two were married. It's also just a couple years before they would experience the tragic kidnapping and murder of their first son Charles A. Lindbergh, III.

 I admit that I didn't really enjoy history way back in the days of my schooling, but it's absolutely fascinating to me these days. And while I've just barely understood some of the very winding road that was Charles Lindbergh's life, I can tell from doing a little research here that I must take the time someday to really try to understand it. There's so much intriguing stuff to absorb... and some of it tells about the man himself, but a lot of it really shows the state of the American culture in the 30's and 40's and the reality of politics, power and human nature.

 Be sure to click the pic above to see it in hi-def over at Shorpy's. It'll feel like your right there with these two interesting people and the Lockheed Vega behind them. This is history.