Evening star., 1949-09-03
Bendix Flyers
Off on Dash
For cleveland
Jet Planes Also Flying
Cross-Country to
National Air Races
BY the Associoted Press

ROSAMOND DR 7 LAhE, Call1. :,
Sept. 3.-Six of the worlds fastest
planes took off today on the 2.010-
mile speed run from here to
Cleveland.
In a cloud of dust which OBJ
scured them seconds after they
were airborne, three F-5ls. a B-26.
an AT-12 (P-4O and De Havil-
land Mosquito headed eastward in
a 40o-mile-per-h hour race for a
$4,000 first prize in the annual
Bendix Trophy race.
Five of the planes were off the
ground at the scheduled starting
time of $50 am. CPST. The
sixth, piloted by Vince Perron of
North Hollywood, was 4 minutes
late, but under rules of the race
still will have the same official
starting time.
Perrons flying the AT-12, par
TALLY financed by Charles Buddy
Rogers, the actor, was delayed by
low pressure in his tail wheel.
Meanwhile, four Air Force jets
took off from nearby Muroc Air
Base in an attempt to lower the
military jet-plane record of 4
hours and 10 minutes to Cleve-
land. The record was set last
year.
Mantz Out of Race.
Paul Mantz, of Burbank, Calf,
the defending Bendix champion,
three-time winner and record
holder in the event, finally de-
cided at the last minute to let
two of his contract flyers pilot his
two entries.
Chief competition for Mantz'
two pilots-Stan Reaver and Her
man (Fish) Salmon-is Joe de
Bona, of Beverly Hills. Calf, Ac-
tor Jimmy Stewart's personal pi-
lot. All three are flying the F-5l's,
or Mustangs.
The pilots will pass the follow
ing check points en- route to
Cleveland: Colorado Springs,
Colo, Goodland., Kans.. Peoria,
ILL.,. and Ft. Wayne, Ind.
The other entrants are Don E.
Bussart, Hong Kong, flying the
De Havilland, and Leland Cam
eron, North Hollywood, flying the
B-26.
Winds were expected to be only
Is to 80 miles an hour at 5000
to 10000 feet, slightly below av-
erage.
Crowd Sees Takeoff.
The takeoff was without' Incl
dent, aside from the brief delay
for Perron, and it was watched
by a crowd estimated by Sheriff's
officers at between 5000 and 5000
on this dry lake in the middle OF
the Mojave Desert. 80 miles north
of Los Angeles and II miles south
of the air forces highly secret ex-
perimental base at Muroc.
All six, if they finish, will get
prizes and there will be one left
over. First award is $4,000; Sec
ond, $500; third, $4,000; fourth,
$500: fifth, $1,000; sixth, $1,000;
seventh, $500.
ForecaSters said the weather
would be good all the way, except
possibly over the Rocky Noun
tainS.
The pilots expected a tail wind
of Is miles an hour or bit more.
Their ships were lined up in lanes
for a simultaneous takeoff from
this desert lake bed IL miles long.
Maj. Vernon Ford of San Fran
cisco was the first to get off at
Muroc. He took off at $3.50 am.
(PST. The others to go were
Capt. J. c. Newman, Mason City.
Nebr.; Capt. F. w. Rizer, Syra-
cuse, Ohio, and 1t. Col. L. c.
Moon, Kamiah, Idaho.
Maj. Ford's plane, with green
tail and wingtitps, carried the rae
ing No. 2.
Capt. Newman, in a yellow
trimmed ship No. 4, took on at
$500 am.
Capt. Rizer, in plane No. 7, with
blue trimmings. was off and away
at 6:29 am.
Col. Moon, in plane No. /, with
red wingtips, took off at 7 am.
The four jet pilots planned to
refuel with lightning speed at Sa-
lima KanS and all were confident