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AAHS FLIGHTLINE
# 171, Second Quarter 2010
AAHS FLIGHTLINE
American Aviation Historical Society www.aahs-online.org
ARMSTRONG DREXEL,
A T THE BOURNEMOUTH
JAMES ARMSTRONG DREXEL,
JAMES
T THE BOURNEMOUTH AND LANARK
AND LANARK
1910 FL YING MEETINGS
YING MEETINGS
1910 FL
by Peter Berry MRAeS
This year is the Centenary of
several flying meetings in Europe,
particularly the first flying meeting in
Scotland, held on the Lanark
Racecourse, some 20 miles southwest
of Glasgow, from August 6 to 13,
1910.
Twenty-two entrants accepted the
invitation to compete and this, only
seven years after the first powered
flight by the Wright brothers.
There were eleven British
competitors, six from France and one
each from France, Peru, Holland,
Switzerland, Italy and the United
States.
The aviators flew three license-
built Short-Wright biplanes, six Blériot
monoplanes, two Hanriot monoplanes,
four Farman biplanes, and one each of
a Humber-Blériot, Voison, Sommer,
Cody, Tellier, B&C/Bristol Boxkite
and Antoinette design.
Prize money totaled some £8,000,
a considerable sum in 1910.
The American aviator, James
Armstrong Drexel, had already
attended the Bournemouth (England)
Aviation Meeting, July 11 to 16, 1910.
Flying a 60-hp Gnome-powered
Blériot XI, his flying skills had been
well rewarded, with some £1,300 prize
money for speed, altitude, a cross-
country flight of 21 miles including 18
miles over the sea and a General Merit
award of £225.
His next stop was at the Lanark
Flying Meeting in Scotland, held in
August. Here, he again excelled
himself, with a total prize money of
£1,340. This included the Longest
Time Airborne, completing a 67-mile
cross-country flight, which gained him
the Lanark Trophy and the Scots
Pictorial Cup. His best prize of £400
James A. Drexel. (Photo from the Library
of Congress via the author)
was for a climb to 6,750 feet, in
Grace’s Blériot, setting a new world
altitude record for the time.
This flight was recorded in Flight
magazine at the time:
“Thursday, August 11; the
sensation of the day was reserved to
the last, McArdle and Drexel went for
altitude. The former came down after
Highlights of What’s Inside:
Bournemouth and Lanark
1910 Flying Meetings
Reunion
Your Secrets . . .”
Drexel in the Blériot, No.20, departing the flying course at Lanark, August
1910. (Photo from the author’s collection)
Text in "blue" represent links. Simply click on the text to go there.
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Left: James A. Drexel
prepares for a flight in
his Bleriot at
Bournemouth in 1910.
(Photo
from
the
author’s collection)
Below: Site of the
Lanark Racecourse
as seen in 2010.
(Photo by the author)
2,730 feet, leaving Drexel still ascending. At about 3,000
feet, the daring American was seen to enter a cloud bank.
For a time no anxiety was felt, but as time went on, it was
obvious that something had happened. It was known that
Drexel only had enough petrol to last him some 45 minutes,
so that the descent would have been made to no great
distance. After two hours had elapsed without word being
received, cars were dispatched with search parties, but at
9:30 p.m., about two and a half hours after he had left the
ground, a wire was received from Drexel himself, from
Cobbinshaw station, 18 miles southwest of Edinburgh. It
appeared that when he came out of the clouds on the
descent, he found himself away from the course and, in the
fast-growing dusk, was quite unable to locate it. He
accordingly sought for level ground on which to alight and
finally selected a field near the farmsteading of Wester
Mossat. Here, he alighted perfect safety, without any injury
to the Blériot.
“The farm folk were naturally greatly surprised. Drexel
borrowed a bicycle and rode to the nearest railway station,
where he wired to the course as already stated, asking for
mechanics to be sent to bring back his machine, which stood
in the long grass, looking for all the world like a dead bird.
“Friday, August 12, at about 1:30 this morning, Drexel
arrived back at the course, having being picked up by his
partner, McArdle, none the worse for his adventure in
cloudland. It appears that Drexel went aloft with the
deliberate intention of ascending to the greatest possible
height. His machine behaved splendidly, although the
engine was tried considerably in finishing the last 50 feet,
made with difficulty owing to the rarity of the atmosphere.
His greatest difficulty was the cold, which caused him to
descend. He was in the air some 50 minutes. The sealed
barograph was taken charge of by the officials and on arrival
at the course was opened by Captain Taylor, who was
charged with height recording. It was found to register no
less than 6,750 feet, a world altitude record , beating even
Brookins’ performance at Atlantic City, by 575 feet.”
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II begins
descending to its first vertical landing on March 18,
2010, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The
successful test confirmed the aircraft's power and
controllability during hover and vertical landing, a
requirement that will enable the supersonic stealth jet
to operate out of confined spaces on land or small
ships. (Lockheed Martin photo)
2
AAHS FLIGHTLINE No. 171 Second Quarter 2010
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DOOLITTLE T OKYO RAIDERS
OKYO RAIDERS
68th REUNION
DOOLITTLE T
68th REUNION
B-25J "Wild Cargo," 44-30129, N7946C; TB-25N, “Axis Nightmare,” 45-8898, N898BW; and B-25J “Panchito,” 44-30734,
N9079Z during a formation fly-by at Grimes Field. (All photos by Bob Burns except as noted)
The National Museum of the United States Air Force
(NMUSAF) hosted the 68th Reunion of the Doolittle Tokyo
Raiders April 16-18. Four of the surviving eight members
of this organization attended the event, which included one
the largest gathering of restored B-25 Mitchells.
Retired Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, 94, of Comfort, Texas;
Maj. Thomas C. Griffin, 92, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Lt. Col.
Robert L. Hite, 90, Nashville, Tenn.; and Master Sgt. David
J. Thatcher, 88, Missoula, Mont.; came together again to
share memories, sign autographs and be recognized as
iconic pieces of American history. The other four surviving
members of Doolittle’s team who were not able to attend
were Col. William M. Bowyer, Lt. Col. Frank A. Kappeler,
Capt. Charles J. Ozuk and Maj. Edward J. Saylor.
The North American B-25 Mitchell was the aircraft
selected by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle to deliver the first
bombing raid on Japan on April 18, 1942. The Mitchell
soon became the AAF pilots’ favorite twin-engine bomber
and used in every theater of WWII not only for high-level
bombing, but after a number of modifications was used as a
low-level attack bomber. Nearly 10,000 were produced, and
today there are approximately 200 located in museums
around the world, and over 40 still airworthy and seen at
most major air shows worldwide.
Also on Saturday, April 17, the Raiders participated in a
ceremony to toast and honor their fellow colleagues who
have passed away. Following the toast the last survivors
overturned the goblets of those who have died since the last
reunion. Throughout the weekend the men signed hundreds
of autographs and spoke with well-wishers who were eager
to see, honor and be a part of American history.
Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley, who attended a
dinner in their honor Friday night, said the men continue to
be an inspiration to Airmen today. “The Doolittle Raiders
have a very special place in the history of the Air Force,”
Secretary Donley said prior to the dinner. “They’ve provid-
ed such great examples to us of leadership, of audacity, of
innovation and personal courage, in some of the darkest
days of WWII.”
Over 38 Mitchell owners were contacted months prior
to the event to see if they would participate in a MITCHELL
B-25 TRIBUTE TO THE DOOLITTLE TOKYO
RAIDERS. All the owners volunteered to come for the cost
of fuel and housing expenses. A decision was made to invite
25 planes that were capable of reaching Dayton without an
overnight or fuel stop. These aircraft were contacted to par-
ticipate if the funds were available to help pay their expens-
es. Larry Kelley, owner and operator of “Panchito,” volun-
teered to help this program and did a spread sheet on the
costs of bringing the planes to Dayton. It was estimated that
at least $200,000 would have to be raised to make it happen.
Doolittle Raiders display at the NMUSAF in Dayton, Ohio.
(Photo from the NMUSAF)
AAHS FLIGHTHLINE No. 171 Second Quarter 2010
3
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“Show Me” - B-25J, 44-31385, N345TH, owned and operated
by the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.
“Pacific Princess” - TB-25N, 43-28204, N9856C, of the Warbird
Depot.
“Lady Luck” - B-25J, 45-8884A, N5833B, of the Warbird
Registry organization.
“Pacific Prowler” - B-25N, 44-30823A, NL1042B, of the Pacific
Prowler organization.
“Miss Mitchell” - B-25J, 44-29869, N27493, of the Miss Mitchell
organization.
“Axis Nightmare” - TB-25N, 45-8898, N898BW, of the Tri-State
Warbird Museum.
“Wild Cargo” - B-25J, 44-30129, N7947C, from the Fighter
Factory.
“Yankee Warrior” - B-25C, 43-3634, N3774, of the Yankee Air
Museum.
B-25 flightline at the NMUSAF on Saturday, April 17, 2010.
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AAHS FLIGHTLINE No. 171 Second Quarter 2010
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B-25s Participating in Doolittle Reunion
Name
Type
Mil. Id.
Reg.
Owner
1.
PACIFIC PROWLER
B-25N
44-30823A
NL1042B
2.
YANKEE WARRIOR
B-25C
43-3634
N3774
3.
MISS MITCHELL
B-25J
44-29869
N27493
4.
MAID IN THE SHADE
B-25J
43-35972A
N125AZ
Arizona CAF
5.
WILD CARGO
B-25J
44-30129
N7947C
6.
PACIFIC PRINCESS
TB-25N
43-28204
N9856C
Warbird Depo t
7.
YELLOW ROSE
TB-25N
43-27868
N25YR
8.
DEVIL DOG
B-25J/PBJ-1J
44-86758
N9643C
9.
LADY LUCK
B-25J
45-8884A
N5833B
10.
BETTY’S DREAM
B-25J
45-8835
N5672V
11.
AXIS NIGHTMARE
TB-25N
45-8898
N898BW
12.
MISS HAP
RB-25
40-2168
NL2925B
13.
SHOW ME
B-25J
44-31385
N345TH
14.
PANCHITO
B-25J
44-30734
N9079Z
15.
TAKE OFF TIME
B-25J
44-30832
N3155G
16.
BRIEFING TIME
B-25J
44-29939
NL94562
17.
BARBIE III
B-25H
43-4106
N5548N
In the end, 18 plane owners accepted the invitation with one
having to scrub at the last minute for mechanical reasons.
The aircraft rendezvoused on April 15 at Grimes Field
in Urbana, Ohio, with the Champaign Aviation Museum
serving as host for the planes and crews. On the morning of
April 17, the Mitchells made their way to Wright Field,
landing on the runway between the museum and restoration
facilities where they went on static display. The planes
returned to Grimes Field on April 18 after performing a
formation fly-over at the NMUSAF. This was one of the
largest gatherings of B-25s since WWII.
“Panchito” - B-25J, 44-30734, N9079Z, from Rag Wings &
Radials.
“Yellow Rose” - TB-25N, 44-27868, N25YR, of the B-25 Yellow
Rose organization.
“Betty’s Dream” - B-25J, 45-8835, N5672V, of the Warbird
Registry organization.
AAHS FLIGHTHLINE No. 171 Second Quarter 2010
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