| Dallas Spirit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Dallas Spirit model on display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum | |
| Role | Monoplane |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Swallow Airplane Company |
| First flight | 1927 |
Dallas Spirit, (aka Swallow Monoplane or Swallow Dole Racer), was a custom-built aircraft designed to compete in the ill-fated Dole Air Derby between California and Hawaii.
Dallas Spirit was built to attempt to win back to back two aviation prizes offered at the peak of record-setting aviation accomplishments in 1927. The first was to win the $25,000 Dole Air Derby between Oakland, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. The second was to win the $25,000 prize for a flight between Dallas and Hong Kong sponsored by William E. Easterwood. Dallas Spirit was built at the Swallow factory at 2401 North Hillside, in Wichita, Kansas. [1]
Dallas Spirit was a high-wing monoplane with conventional landing gear. The dual wingstruts featured large airfoil shaped fairings. It was painted green and silver.
Dallas Spirit was unveiled at Love Field in Dallas, Texas on 6 August 1927. It was intended to bring as much publicity to the city as the Spirit of St. Louis did earlier in the year with Charles Lindbergh's solo transatlantic crossing. [2] [3]
The scheduled departure date was 16 August 1927. Dallas Spirit was flown by 31-year-old William Portwood Erwin and navigated by 27-year-old Alvin Eichwaldt. [4] Before the race started, two planes had already crashed, killing all their occupants. Most competitors barely could take off, and had mishaps, or turned back just after departure. Dallas Spirit was one of these unlucky entrants, returning shortly after the first attempt with six feet of fabric torn from the side, blamed on a misaligned access panel under the navigator. [5] Of the four aircraft that continued, two aircraft reported landings in Hawaii, and two disappeared: Miss Doran and Golden Eagle. Dole and William F. Mallosa, who had backed Miss Doran, put a combined $50,000 in rewards together to find the missing pilots. [6]
Repairs to the tail section of the Dallas Spirit tail section took two days. On 18 August, Erwin decided to attempt the California to Hawaii trip without the prize, searching for the missing aircraft Miss Doran and Golden Eagle, then continuing on to Manila and Hong Kong. A 55-watt short wave radio was removed from another contestant, the Pabco Flyer and installed in the Dallas Spirit. Amateur radio operators across the country monitored the transmissions on the 33.1-meter wavelength. At 9 pm, Eichwald sent a message that the aircraft went into a spin and recovered, followed by a second S.O.S. that the plane had gone into a spin. The abrupt signal loss in the middle of the call occurred as the plane crashed into the ocean about 650 miles west of Oakland. [7] [8]
On 27 October 1927, a silver piece of aileron was found washed ashore at Redondo Beach, California, which was thought to have come from the lost ship. "Discovery of a number, 43449-10, stamped in indelible ink upon two wooden inner ribs, upon the wing, lent hope that it might be possible to trace it to its origin. The fragment was taken to the biology laboratory at the University of Southern California, to determine how long it was in the water." A check of records indicated that the missing aircraft had silver elevators while the rest of the ship was green. [9]
Dallas Spirit was built on credit with the promise of the Swallow Airplane Company receiving some of the prize money. The disappearance of the plane was enough to send the company into receivership. Owner Mollendick sold off his interests to aviation investor Victor Roos. [5]
Data from aerofiles
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
55w wind driven radio
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1927:
The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas, United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.
The Dole Air Race, also known as the Dole Derby, was an air race across the Pacific Ocean from Oakland, California, to Honolulu in the Territory of Hawaii held in August 1927 that resulted in several deaths.
Allan Haines Lockheed was an American aviation engineer and businessman. He formed the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company along with his brother, Malcolm Loughead, which became Lockheed Corporation.
The Swallow Airplane Company was an early manufacturer of airplanes.
Lieutenant William Portwood Erwin was an American World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. On 19 August 1927, he disappeared during the Dole Air Race from Oakland, California to Hawaii.
The Wright-Bellanca WB-2, was a high wing monoplane aircraft designed by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, initially for Wright Aeronautical then later Columbia Aircraft Corp.
Vance Breese (1904–1973) was an American aviation engineer and test pilot.
The Brown B-2 Racer was an American-built small monoplane racing aircraft built in 1934.
The Bird of Paradise was a military airplane used by the United States Army Air Corps in 1927 to experiment with the application of radio beacon aids in air navigation. On June 28–29, 1927, the Bird of Paradise, crewed by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland and 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger, completed the first flight over the Pacific Ocean from the mainland, California, to Hawaii. For this feat the crew received the Mackay Trophy.
The Travel Air 5000 was an early high-wing monoplane airliner and racing monoplane designed by Clyde Cessna and is chiefly remembered for being the winner of the disastrous Dole Air Race from California to Hawaii.
Victor H. Roos was an American entrepreneur and the founder or co-founder of several early aircraft companies, including Cessna Aircraft.
The Breese-Wilde 5 is a custom-built high-wing monoplane that was produced for and used in the Dole Air Derby of 1927.
The Laird-Turner RT-14 Meteor, also called the Turner TR-14, Ring Free Meteor, PESCO Special, Miss Champion, Turner Special and the Turner Meteor was the winning aircraft of the 1938 and 1939 Thompson Trophy races.
Knoll Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Wichita, Kansas.
VPB-29 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Pacific Air Detachment on 17 January 1923, redesignated Patrol Squadron 14 (VP-14) on 29 May 1924, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1-Naval District 14 (VP-1D14) on 21 September 1927, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1-B (VP-1B) on 1 July 1931, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1-F (VP-1F) on 15 April 1933, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1 (VP-1) on 1 October 1937, redesignated Patrol Squadron 21 (VP-21) on 1 July 1939, redesignated Patrol Squadron 1 (VP-1) on 30 July 1940, redesignated Patrol Squadron 101 (VP-101) on 3 December 1940, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 29 (VPB-29) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 20 June 1945.
Mildred Alice Doran was a Canadian aviation enthusiast who was the only woman to enter the Dole Air Race in 1927, created to be the first to fly from California to Hawaii. During the race, she and several other competitors disappeared.
A transpacific flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Pacific Ocean from Australasia, East and Southeast Asia to North America, Latin America, or vice versa. Such flights have been made by fixed-wing aircraft, balloons and other types of aircraft.
Vail Airport, Montebello was an airport in Montebello, California from 1926 to 1953. The airport was owned and operated by Western Air Express. Western Air Express purchased 700 acres of Vail farm to build the private airport from the Vail brothers. The vast airport was boarded by Telegraph Road on the south, Ferguson Drive on the north, Tusbway Avenue on the west, and Yates Avenue to the east. A group of Los Angeles entrepreneurs founded Western Air Express and the airport to cash in on the Air Mail Act of 1925 that opened up bidding on air mail contracts. Western Air Express purchased six Douglas mailplanes model M-2 to start the company. Western Air Express built two 2 unpaved runways running north–south in the middle of the lot, along the current Yates Avenue. A nearby movie studio building was turned into the main hangar and three more were built. Western Air Express won an airmail contract run from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City in 1926. In 1927 the local airport became famous as Charles Lindbergh landed The Spirit of St. Louis at the airport on a nationwide. Leland A. Bryant designed and built his racing aircraft at Vail Airport starting in 1927. Ryan Mechanics built the Lone Eagle CM-1 at Vail Airport in 1928.
