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GUS GOTCH

The National Air Races were a series of pylon and cross-country races that took place in the United States starting in 1920 when publisher Ralph Pulitzer sponsored the Pulitzer Trophy Race and the Pulitzer Speed Trophy for military airplanes at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, in an effort to publicize aviation and his newspaper.

By 1929, the races moved to Cleveland and became known as the Cleveland National Air Races. They drew the best flyers of the time, including Tex Rankin, Jimmy Wedell, Roscoe Turner, and Jimmy Doolittle along with many others from the pioneer age of aviation.

The races included a variety of events, including cross-country races originating in Portland, Oakland, and Los Angeles, with a final destination in Cleveland. Also included were landing contests, glider demonstrations, airship flights, and parachute-jumping contests.

The most popular event was the annual Thompson Trophy Race which was the most prestigious air race in the United States in the 1930's, comparable to today's Indianapolis 500 auto race. The Thompson, which started in 1929 was a closed-course unlimited free-for-all air race where aviators raced their planes around an aerial racecourse marked by pylons.

Then there was the Bendix Trophy Race which was a cross-country air race across most of the USA starting in 1931.

Then came Cleveland born Louis William Greve or more commonly known as Lou or L.W. He was a prolific inventor, an aviation pioneer, industrialist, and later was the President of the National Air Races. He had a summer home in nearby Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio where many of the air racers who were in town for the Nationals would visit including Jimmy Doolittle, Amelia Earhardt, and Charles and Anne Lindbergh to name a few. However, the exact location of this home and whether it's still standing is currently unknown.

As early as 1903, Lou began submitting the first of his 46 patents. His first patent was awarded in 1904 for his impact tool design, now widely known as the "jack hammer". He had other patents that tied to early automotive shock absorbers (air springs) as well as a host of similar products specifically designed for aircraft use. One of these was known as the Aerol Strut or later referred as Aerols.

In 1929, Lou established the Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Race and Aerol Trophy Race for women pilots. This race was a derby that began in Santa Monica, California and concluded in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1930, the derby began in Long Beach, California and finished in Chicago, Illinois.

The race later became known as the Women's Air Derby or National Women's Derby (also nicknamed the "Powder Puff Derby") and the victor was awarded the Aerol Trophy, named after Lou's patented shock absorber. Some of the most well-known female pilots and racers here were Pancho Barnes, Bobbi Trout, Louise Thaden, and Amelia Earhart.

In 1934, he sponsored the annual $25,000 Louis W. Greve Trophy Race. The Greve Race was a high-speed closed course event. All planes were required to have a 550 cubic-inch (or less) engine displacement. The engine size restriction was implemented to encourage the use and implementation of technology to garner efficiency in the lower-power airplane groups as well as faster speeds. The Greve Trophy Race was held at the National Air Races from 1934 through 1939.

A victory would be dependent on pilot skill, airplane design and luck. But the reward was great! Not only was there cash to be had, but the top placing Greve Trophy was a spectacle in and of itself. This grand trophy consisted of a silver aviator holding an airplane, standing on a large silver globe with silver base on marble. The overall height was 35 inches, including the 10-1/4 inch marble base. The total weight was 197 pounds. The trophy contains 152.8 ounces of sterling silver.

The Greve Trophy is now on display at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.

In the rules for the Greve Race, the owner of the winning airplane was given possession of the Greve trophy for 10 months, at which time, it was returned But, in exchange received a Gold plaque that the winner would keep. The 2nd place pilot received a silver plaque, and a bronze plaque went to the 3rd place winner.

Louis William Greve passed away suddenly of a heart attack on February 2nd, 1942, at the age of 59 in Fort Lauderdale, FL Telegrams and letters poured in from around the world to his wife Elsie Baldwin and his three children Janice Roberts, Fred B., and Doris Wagenlander. Louis was later buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

And now, let's talk a moment about our featured plane - The Keith Rider R-4 Firecracker. This R-4 plane was built by Keith Rider in 1936 for the National Air Races. Rider began building racers in 1931 with the R-1. The R-4, which was Rider's fourth design and registered as NX261Y, was powered by a 200+hp 6-cylinder Menasco B6S Buccaneer engine with a 489CU-in displacement.

The Firecracker was a relatively conventional aircraft, constructed of a steel-tube fuselage with wood formers and was fabric covered, the wing was all wood and plywood covered with a very small retractable gear and an even smaller tail skid. It had an enclosed canopy and was painted overall yellow. It had an 18-foot wingspan, it was 19 feet 9 inches long, and weighed in at 925 lbs.

Sporting the race number #70, Pilot Roger Don Rae flew the Firecracker to win the Shell Speed Dash in 1936 with a speed of 225.549 mph, and came in third in the Thompson at 236.559 MPH.

Rider sold the R-4 to Bill Schoenfeldt after the 1936 races. Schoenfeldt had the racer modified, replacing the original Menasco B6S Buccaneer engine with a 6-cylinder C6S-4 Super Buccaneer that had 330hp and a 544-CUin displacement. The aircraft was renamed the Schoenfeldt Firecracker and retained its race number #70.

In early 1937, Schoenfeldt hired experienced race pilot Gus Gotch to pilot his newly acquired plane. Gotch was born in 1896 and hailed from Wisconsin but later lived in the Los Angeles, CA area where he owned and operated a small airport near Inglewood. In his first race in the Firecracker at the St. Louis Air Races on Saturday May 29, 1937, Gotch got into a near dead-heat coming in 2nd with a speed of 239.9MPH just behind Marion McKeen who squeaked out 240MPH in the Brown "Miss Los Angeles".

After this race Gus nosed the plane over during the landing roll. This eliminated the racer from the next day's races, but Schoenfeldt had a prop sent from the Story-Gawley Co. in Los Angeles. The prop was the most serious part damaged, and one was flown in during the night. However, when the prop arrived it was found that it was drilled for the older Buccaneer engine.

Ole Fahlin, of the Fahlin Propeller Co., was at the races and came to the rescue. He flew the prop to his plant at Marshall, Missouri, and had it re-drilled and balanced. So, with the bent cowl and air scoops the number 70 was ready for the last day of the races. This was Monday May 31st. . . Memorial Day and the race was the weekend's feature race - the Missouri Brewer's Association Trophy Race.

Gotch got off to a slow start and loafed for a few laps then opened the throttle on the "Firecracker" and went on to win the event with a speed of 251.6 mph. A few of the laps he turned at 260 mph. After the race the R-4 was returned to Los Angeles where the damage to the cowling and air scoops were repaired and an extra tank for the Thompson Trophy Race was added.

And that takes us to the 17th annual National Air Races held in Cleveland, Ohio on September 3rd thru the 6th at Cleveland Municipal Airport. By this time period, it had been only 2 months since Amelia Earhart's disappearance or as it was reported in 1937 as lost at sea during her around the world flight to which a Memorial Trophy Race was established. Additionally, amongst the contest committee chiefs here was now former racer Jimmy Doolittle who was an honorary judge at the Cleveland event.

Gus H. Gotch, was scheduled to take to the air on Sunday, September 5, 1937. The Greve Trophy race was the feature race that day and was the most important race for the 549-cu. in. or lower powered race planes that weekend.

The race was supposed to be 30 laps of the 5-mile triangular course, but due to blustery winds that day, the race was delayed until very late in the afternoon, and then shortened to 20 laps so that it would be concluded well before dusk.

In addition to the weather conditions, the Firecracker was still not in its top form as engine problems continued to trouble the plane. However, Gus was able to come in 3rd place in the Greve Trophy Race with a speed of 231.593MPH good enough to take home a cash prize of $1500.

Gus was behind Rudy Kling who took first with 232.272 mph and Steve Wittman coming in at second with a speed of 231.990. But, Gus was ahead of Roger Don Rae and Marion McKeen who rounded out the match with their 4th and 5th place finishes.

And even with the additional troubles he had with the Firecracker, Gotch managed to pick up a 7th place finish the following day on September 6th in the Thompson with a speed of 217.81 mph.

Gus Gotch was quite vocal in his displeasure of the Firecracker's operating antics which led to a reported falling out with Bill Shoenfeldt who would go on to replace Gotch with Tony LeVier. LeVier mastered the Firecracker and at the 1938 Oakland CA air races won two races and then won the 1938 Greve Trophy race at Cleveland. The Firecracker now can be seen at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA.

And now, let's take a look at Gus Gotch's 3rd Place Greve Trophy won in Cleveland on September 5, 1937.

The trophy measures approximately 21.5 inches high, the back measures 11.25 wide, with the base slighter wider at 14.25. The trophy weighs in at about 10lbs.

This wall-mountable award was expertly designed and made by Josten's out of Owatonna, Minnesota which is still in business today.

Now, the wood base and backing appears to have possibly been re-finished at some point many years ago. But that does take away from great amount of detail this piece has especially with the bronze angel holding an airplane, the black onyx or mirrored back surrounded in bronze with pilots looking on. The bronze placard is also stunning - detailing the National and Greve Races.

And speaking of the Placard, we notice a slight mistake in Gus H. Gotch's name. Typically, it was common to see G.H. Gotch but here the "G" is actually a "C" and shown as C.H. Gotch. We looked into this further and determined that this error must have occurred at the point of the record keeping at the races as this error carried through to the 1938 program which detailed out the winners of the 1937 races and here you can see C. H. Gotch instead of G.H. Gotch.

What a wonderful piece of air race and aviation history. Generally, these are seen in museums such the Crawford Auto-aviation Museum in Cleveland, the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Paterson in Dayton, Ohio, The EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, WI, and even the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

On May 28, 1938, Gus Gotch was among the entrants to the first edition of the Pacific International Air Races, held at Oakland Airport in Alameda County, California. He was at the helm of the Folkerts SK-2 plane named "The Foo", owned by Ted Fordon of Detroit, Michigan.

Originally, it was Roger Don Rae who was slated to pilot the plane, but the air transport company where he worked said No – and thus, Gus Gotch was hired to take Rae's place. His first flight in "The Foo" was the feature race on Saturday May 28th where he finished in 4th Place.

On Sunday afternoon, May 29th, the 42-year-old Gotch took part in a contest for the 550 Cubic inch or less displacement planes where by a 12-lap, 100-mile Free-for-all took place. On the opening lap of the race, Gus Gotch cut wide around the first pylon of the course - that was resting on floats in the bay.

Then he came to the shore-side pylon at a speed of more than 200 mi/h. Gotch whipped over in a series of rolls, and the tiny plane dove and struck the shallow water of San Francisco Bay, about a half-mile offshore, in view of an estimated 20,000 spectators.

It was reported that the airplane barrel-rolled upwards and then smashed straight downwards into the bay. Only the tail section was seen protruding from the waters. Rescuers, including cameraman Carl Bigelow, members of the Oakland Tribune Newspaper, and the Coast Guard managed to pull the plane out enough to free Gus' body which was tightly wedged in the cockpit of the submerged aircraft partially wrapped in the silk folds of his parachute. The plane remained buried in the mud.

Gotch never had a chance to survive. Upon pulling him out of the aircraft, the plane's speed indicator needle was seen jammed and frozen at 345 mph. And before Gotch's unseeing eyes was this motto pasted to the cowling: "If you want to live to 60, don't drive 60". A strange epitaph for a racing pilot.

Gotch's accident was the second fatal accident involving a pilot during the three-day event. On Saturday, May 28th, Ralph G. Johnson, 44-year-old, from Los Angeles, crashed during an exhibition flight. Before the start of the proceedings, on Tuesday, May 24th, a steel worker employed by a contractor in the erection of one of the pylons of the air racecourse, was killed when it collapsed.

Contributor: John K. Heffner