This glorious silent film shows the National Junior Air Races, held in Cleveland, Ohio. The Scripps-Howard National Junior Air Races are almost completely forgotten, but in the 1930s and 40s they represented the premiere competitive arena for aircraft modelers, radio-control and control line pilots. This rare silent home movie dates to 1939 – 1942, but probably 1942. It was shot by a member of the Cleveland Press staff. It shows many of the events at the Races, including the weigh-in that started the days’ activities. According to a Pittsburg Press article the 1939 competition offered $25 wrist watches as rewards which included an American Airlines Trophy and Roscoe Turner Award for the best entries. Various newspapers sponsored the regional competitions, as you can see from the t-shirts many of the contestants are wearing. The 1939 contest featured nearly 1000 spectators and special guests that included Roscoe Turner and Major Al Williams.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com