The 1927 Dole Air race will forever live as one of the most tragic examples of bravado preceding technology ever. The event was funded by James D Dole of pineapple empire fame. After Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic Dole wanted to capitalize on the publicity that would come from someone doing something awesome over the Pacific. He threw the equivalent of about $500,000 into this contest and invited anyone who wanted a piece of the action to show up in Oakland, California to give it a run.
15 airplanes showed up and by the time the race started three people were already dead, a bunch of planes had already crashed, and there were eight actual plans cleared to compete. There were some technical rules like the need to carry at least 400 gallons of gasoline to make the trip. A couple of planes got bounced from tech but the main reason the count was dwindling was because of crashes.
By the time the race was over, 10 people would be dead or at least presumed to be dead. Multiple airplanes and crews were lost at sea , never to be found again, and only TWO actually made it to Hawaii. The winners got the big check and the runners-up got $10,000. They finished within two hours of each other.
So now you know! Check out the video below to see just how bad an idea this whole thing was. Incredible
Hmmmm…when you have to push start an airplane, clue number 1. You would think they knew what the term “westerlies” meant….(?)
The music is nice but it does not go well with the story
The winner of that race hangs in the main building at the incredible Frank Phillips ranch, “Woolaroc” in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, about an hour north of Tulsa. Incredible history at that place, great place to visit!