This silent, black and white home movie appears to date to 1932, the year that James “Jimmy” Doolittle flew the GeeBee racing aircraft and won the Thompson Trophy at the National Air Races. The 1932 races were held in Cleveland Ohio August 27 to September 5. As it was the height of the “plane craze”, many new racing planes debuted at the N.A.R. In addition to the Bendix race from Burbank, California to Cleveland there were six other cross-country races, twenty-one closed course races and two speed dashes.

The film opens with a view of the airfield and the grandstand of the National Air Races in Cleveland Ohio. The radio tower marked ” Bendix ” (mirrored in this case as the film is flipped) can be seen in the foreground at :35. The GeeBee airplane rolls across the field to a soft landing 1:11. Men approach the plane and escort it towards the grandstand 1:40. The plane is taxied by the men to a group of people assembled under an American flag 2:00. Flags flying with the letters N.A.A ( National Aeronautic Association ) ripple in the breeze 2:16. A biplane, billowing smoke make sharp turns on the grassy field 2:44. The biplane maneuvers dangerously close to the ground 3:26. The biplane is piloted by a man in the top hat 3:30. A biplane loops upside down over the airfield 3:47. The upside-down biplane sores overhead 4:21. Announcers and radio reporters at the event 5:03. Cliff Henderson, chief promoter of the event, is likely visible in this shot. A biplane soars into the air and races past a Bendix tower 5:38. Two airplanes fly in unison over the airfield in a circular motion 6:00. The planes fly close to the ground and then soar above the field 6:18. A Monocoupe 90 tail # NC178K flies in a race. Several planes and cars can be seen in the center of the airfield 6:50. Tremendous crowds look on as several airplanes run across the airfield 7:20. The GeeBee takes flight in front of the amazed onlookers 7:34. Planes zoom overhead to the delight of the crowd 8:00. A PZL P.11 (fuselage number 6-D 217) twirls and twirls above the heads of the crowd 8:30. The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL. The plane continues aerial acrobatics 9:25. The PZL P.11 (possibly piloted by Bolesław Orliński ) comes in for a swift landing on the grass 9:45. The man with the top hat continues his dangerous maneuvering of his biplane touching the wings to the grassy field 10:25. The man circles the airfield again and again 10:57. A view of the tremendous crowd at the air races can be seen 11:15. An airplane speeds past the grandstand and into the distance 11:54. The fairgrounds can be seen below as several planes fly overhead 12:30. The camera pans to the sky to see the many planes performing an acrobatic dance 12:50. Cars and buses can be seen parked in the fairgrounds 13:40. Camera pans across the airfield as a plane passes overhead 14:17. The camera shot pans from the grandstand to a plane speeding by 14:45. The planes appear as dots on the horizon and then slowly come into view over the airfield 15:15. A plane comes in for landing but then swiftly turns away exposing its underside for the crowd 15:48. The grandstand is packed with onlookers 16:50. The camera pans back and forth searching the sky for the tiny aircraft 17:27. Planes fly overhead in succession 18:08. James Wedell’s #44 Wedell Williams flies past at 18:30. A plane does a quick flyby 19:00. A tiny plane skims the ground of the airfield and shoots into the air 19:38. The cameraman scans the skies for the tiny specks that slowly become tiny aircraft zipping across the airfield 20:45. Planes circle the grandstand 21:21. The parking lot is seen full of dark sedans people leaving the grandstand 22:12. A small Menasco powered race plane #39, one of two owned by Benny Howard, buzzes by 22:32 followed at 22:52 by aviatrix Mary Haizlip with Wedell Williams #92. Higher and higher, the planes climb into the sky and the dutiful cameraman tracks their paths 23:19. The GeeBee comes in for a soft landing 24:13. A radio tower with the Bendix logo prominently displayed 24:37. The American flag waves in the foreground as a plane taxis on the grass 24:51. The great expanse of the airfield can be seen as people mill about in the foreground 25:27. A plane spins in the grass as a fire engine arrives 25:50.

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