Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13

| graves Will IlefOeS VI dVldlloll' AAlouSA
there were a goodly number OF minor
crack-ups and six crashes, or accidents,
which resulted in complete Wlplng out
of planes, no flyer was even seriously
injured during the races-a welcome
contrast to the year before, when the
races were among the bloodiest in the
history of major aviation meets.
! Two Marine Corps planes were chalked
up as total losses following an aerial
collision in which their pilots escaped
! by jumping An Army pursuit plane
crash after the pilot leaped to safety
Walter Hunter narrowly escaped de-
struction when his plane caught fire,
crashed and was completely demolished
during a trial run for the Thompson
Trophy. An autosiro caught fire while
being TAXED across the field and was
reduced to a little charred heap of
nothing much. The plane of Flight
Lieut.. Richard L. r. Atcherly OF Eng
smashed wing tips and damaged land
ing gear was interesting, but not es-
! pecially important, except to those who
had to pay for the excitement.
The National Capitals only entry in
the races-Capt. Ira &C. Eaker, Army
Air Corps, on duty at Boiling Field
provided some excitement for the race
! fans following the Thompson race.
when he had to land without the use of
his landing gear. Eaker was using a
low-wing plane. with retractable land
ing gear, the wheels cranking up into
the wings to reduce drag resistance in
fight.
While he was making the second lap
OF the Thompson race the gear release
mechanism let go, the wheels dropped
and the crank in the cockpit near Capt.
Eaker's knee began Whirling madly la
cerating his left thumb and tearing the
clothes off his knee. For half lap he
few the plane with his feet alone, using
both hands to get the landing gear up.
He did such good job of pulling in
his wheels the second time that when
the race was over and he came around
to land, the wheels would not cGme out
again. For one long. unhappy hour
Capt. Eaker bounced the plane around
trying to shake the stubborn wheels
loose, but to no avail. Then, his fuel
supply running low. he was forced to
land on the belly of the plane. while
sirens shrilled. ambulanceS and fire ap-
| paratuS changed and the crowd o-o-h-ed
and a-a-ah-ed. Eaker, however. got
away with the landing quite nicely, the
plane suffering little damage beyond
bent propeller.
Pilots Reap Rewards.
Jimmy Doolittle who In the Army
Air Corps Reserve goes officially as
Maj James H. Doolittle. was the heavy
money winner in the 1881 races. He
went home with $4,000 and the
BendiX trophy and, but for an over
heated motor in the Thompson race.
undoubtedly would have added $4,000
more to his collection, as he was
flying an easy second when forced
down on the seventh lap.
Diminutive Mae Haizlip led the
women in reaping awards for her fly
ing. She gathered in S7750 prize
money and her husband, Jimmy
Haislip flew to victory to the tune of
some 81 800.
Johnny Livingstone of Aurora. Ill.
was the consistent winner in the races
for smaller planes and went home with
six trophies for his mantelpiece and
5000 for his bank account
Lowell Bayles, the Springfield. Mass.
boy who sprang to fame by winning
the Thompson race, took home So 300
in cash, the beautiful gold, silver and
bronze Thompson trophy, said to be
worth $4,000, and another trophy
His townswoman, Miss Maude Irving
TAFT, won herself $4,250 in prize money
and the Cleveland Pneumatic Aerial
trophy. Robert Hall, also hailing from
Springfield, Mass, garnered $3.50 and
another handsome trophy.
Dainty little Miss Florence Klingen-
smith, who few down from Minneapo-
lis. didn't get into the headlines very