Spokane Hosted the National Air Derby and Air Races in 1927

Spokane has a long history of promotion in bringing national events to the area such as Expo ’74, Bloomsday, and Hoopfest.

The National Air Derby and Air Races Come to Spokane

An early example of Spokane “blazing the trail” in hosting events was the National Air Derby and Air Races at Felts Field on September 21, 1927. Spokane’s love of aviation was a factor in being chosen. At that time, many cities were competing to be on the coveted air mail and passenger air service routes. Spokane played a key role in showing the commercial potential of the airplane.

We have Major John “Jack” Fancher (1892-1928; Commander of the 41st Division, 116th Observation Squadron of the Spokane-based Washington Air National Guard) to thank for his efforts in Spokane being selected to host this national gathering. He was the guiding spirit behind bringing the derby and races to Spokane.

Major Fancher understood the need to get financial support for the events. He enlisted such local leaders as newspaper owner William H. Cowles; lumberman, Milton McGoldrick; investment tycoon Harlan Peyton; hoteliers Victor Dessert and Louis M. Davenport, and a host of others to contribute their time, financial support, influence, and organizational skills to its success.

To also entice momentum to attract big money and large audiences was the visit of Charles A. Lindbergh in his “Spirit of St. Louis” on September 12, 1927. Major Fancher was on hand to greet Mr. Lindbergh upon his return to New York from France and invited him to be Spokane’s guest at the derby and races. Mr. Lindbergh was not able to attend the events but included Spokane on a tour on September 12 adding to the mounting anticipation of the event to begin nine days later.

Venue for the Derby and Races

The derby and races took place at what was formerly the Spokane Air Port which was renamed in 1926 as the Parkwater Airport and in 1927 renamed again as Felts Field named after James Buell Felts, a Washington Air National Guard aviator killed in a crash in May, 1927. The field was the location for flight instruction, charter service, airplane repair, aerial photography, headquarters of the 116th Observation Squadron of the Washington Air National Guard, and eventually the first airmail and commercial flights in and out of Spokane. It was rated as one of the best flying fields in the entire West from a booklet published by the National Air Derby Association. It was one and a half miles long by one half mile wide with prevailing winds from the west.

Its prominent landmarks consisted of the hills, hangers, and the Spokane River made it easy for pilots to find. Known as a “fast field”, it had a hard gravel base with grass turf. The airport was only five miles from downtown and had access to the Empire Electric Railway. Felts Field had no terminal and no runway. It was the site of a former golf course where planes used to land at the ninth fairway.

Fund Raising for the Events

Major Fancher organized the group which was the driving force in organizing and carrying out the derby and races that raised more than $60,000. He spent hours in committee work which included breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, and banquets given by businessmen to assure the success of the events prior to and after the announcement by the National Aeronautics Association. They awarded the races to Spokane in May to host the completion of the National Air Derby and Air Races to be held on September 21, 1927.

In July, 1927, Sergeant Raymond A. Carroll and Jack Fancher flew to New York and back in the Swallow—an aircraft belonging to Spokane’s legendary aviator Nicolas B. “Nick” Mamer to drum up publicity and arrangements along the routes of the races.

Two Distinct Courses – Class A and Class B

The events consisted of two distinct courses: a West Coast course starting in San Francisco and a cross-country course starting in New York. They both ended at Felts Field in Spokane. The New York races were 2,275 miles while the San Francisco were 925 miles.

The cross-continent race began at Roosevelt Field on Long Island in New York. The Class A New York-Spokane race was for commercial planes capable of carrying two persons. Entries were divided into two classes by horsepower: Class A was open to aircraft over 100 horsepower which were mainly Wright Whirlwind engines. Class B were aircraft under 100 horsepower which were mainly powered by Curtiss OX-5 war surplus engines.

The Class B, or slower planes, from New York would also start at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on Monday morning with both short and overnight stops timed to bring them into Spokane on Wednesday afternoon.

Of great help in navigation was the fact that the official racecourse from St. Paul to Spokane followed either the Northern Pacific or the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad tracks.

The Pacific Coast Air Derby entries departed Mills Field, San Francisco’s municipal airport in two groups. The slower Class B aircraft departed before dawn and the Class A departed an hour later. There was a brief stop at Swan Island Airport, Portland, Oregon, before reaching Spokane mid-afternoon.

The military flyers (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard and Reserve Corps) were not permitted to compete for cash prizes but were eligible to win trophies.

Race Communications

The September 20, 1927, issue of The Spokane Daily Chronicle informed the public that communication of the events would be carried by radio, telegraph, telephone, and motion pictures to facilitate the broadcasting of news in words and pictures to cover the finish. An additional nine telephone lines were installed at the field to dispatch “sky breaking” news to every city, town, and hamlet in the country! All eyes were on the Spokane skies from September 21 through 25, 1927. These events put Spokane on the map of Americans across the country.

Many spectators flew in from all over the country in commercial planes or in their own planes as well as by trains and buses.

Newspaper articles from September 19 through 25 documented the festivities which attracted some 91,989 attendees over the days of the events.

The Prize Money

Funds raised by private donations were $76,625. The prize money offered was $63,250 which was for cash prizes and trophies valued at $10,000. The National Air Derbies took $48,250 in cash; the Air Races took $15,000 in addition to $10,000 in trophies.

Class A and Class B Winners

Of the 15 starters from New York in Class A, the first four to arrive were: Charles “Speed” Holman of Minneapolis in a Laird biplane; Holman’s winning time was 19 hours, 42 minutes, and 53 seconds. E.E. Ballough was 36 minutes behind in another Laird; then N.B. “Nick” Mamer in a Buhl; followed by J.P. Wood in a Waco. All of the aircraft were powered by Wright Whirlwind engines. The winning Class B aircraft finisher took more than 30 hours for the flight to Spokane.

The Spokane entry in the Class A race from New York City was flown by Nick Mamer and Bruce McDonald. They flew a Wright J-5 powered open-cockpit biplane which was furnished by the Buhl Aircraft Company with support from the local hosting committee. The plane was more powerful and capable than the Swallow airplane that was originally to be used. The flight time was 20 hours and 59 minutes. They finished third winning $2,000.

The Class A winner of the race from San Francisco was M.C. Lippiat who flew a Travel Air biplane with one stop enroute for a total of eight hours, 16 minutes, and 37 seconds. Lee Schoenhair won second place in an international biplane. Vance Breese finished third in a plane of his own manufacture.

First to arrive in Class B from San Francisco was Cecil Langdon in an International biplane with a time of nine hours, 59 minutes, and 18 seconds. Second place was D.C. Warren in a Travel Air biplane. Third was Lee Willey in an Eaglerock. All these aircraft were powered by Curtiss OX-5 engines.

Spokane’s Derby and Race Impact

As a result of the success of the National Air Derby and Air Races, Spokane became known as a leader in aviation and in the national aviation spotlight. The airplane started to become valuable as a mode of travel for both people and goods in 1927.

A 1927 Travel Air 4000 biplane painted in the color scheme commemorating the 1927 air races is still flying and is currently housed at the Historic Flight Foundation at Felts Field.

The National Air Races became one of the most successful and popular races in the country’s history thanks to Spokane for leading the way. In the years that followed, they were successfully held in Cleveland and Los Angeles, as the country went forward into the air age.

Spokane continues to build upon its expertise as a national event host of which we are very proud.

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