Out of the Hangar: 100th anniversary of International Air Races (video)
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFLCMC) - One hundred years ago, some of the world’s top pilots and aviation proponents gathered in the Dayton, Ohio area for the 1924 International Air Races.
The event was hosted at the Army Air Service’s Wilbur Wright Field, one of the predecessors to today’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Contemporary news reports estimated overall attendance between 80,000-100,000 spectators for the three-day event, which featured speed races, flight demonstrations and other high-flying fun.
According to AFLCMC Chief Historian Kevin Rusnak, air races served multiple purposes during the era:
- they were venues for competitors to win prizes that enabled them to put money into plane development;
- they showcased aviation to interested audiences, and;
- they served as a public proving ground where pilots and designers could gain experience as they built faster and more powerful planes.
“How could [the Air Service] demonstrate that we had the fastest airplanes or test out new technologies? Air races that were pushing the very limits of these envelopes, that was a great way for us to do that,” Rusnak says in the newest “Out of the Hangar” video, a series that highlights acquisition and aviation history for Center audiences.
Military planners took note of the technology industry showcased at the event. Major General Mason Patrick, the head of the Air Service noted:
"The Army Air Service is especially pleased with the achievements of the commercial flyers. The building up of a commercial industry will be a strong factor in defense of the country and will also increase business facilities. These races afford an opportunity for the whole country to see just what is being accomplished in aeronautics."
The demonstrations came at a high price for some pilots. As Rusnak explains, Army Air Service pilot Lt. Alexander Pearson, Jr. died practicing for the competition, followed by one of his replacement pilots, Capt. Burt Skeel, who perished while competing in the Pulitzer Trophy Race, a signature event.
History Extra: Click here to see an original International Air Races program.