The Bendix Trophy is a U.S. aeronautical racing

Air racing

- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...

 trophy. The transcontinental, point-to-point race, sponsored by industrialist Vincent Bendix founder of Bendix Corporation

Bendix Corporation

The Bendix Corporation was an American manufacturing and engineering company which during various times in its 60 year existence made brake systems, aeronautical hydraulics, avionics, aircraft and automobile fuel control systems, radios, televisions and computers, and which licensed its name for...

, began in 1931 as part of the National Air Races

National Air Races

The National Air Races were a series of pylon and cross-country races that took place in the United States from 1920 to 1949. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew rapidly during this period; the National Air Races were both a proving ground and...

. Initial prize money for the winners was $15,000. The last Bendix Trophy Race was flown in 1962.

The trophy was brought back in 1998 by AlliedSignal

AlliedSignal

AlliedSignal was an aerospace, automotive and engineering company that acquired and merged with Honeywell for $15 billion in 1999, after which the new group adopted the Honeywell name.AlliedSignal was created through a 1985 merger of Allied Corp...

 the then current owner of the Bendix brand name

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 (which later merged with Honeywell

Honeywell

Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....

) to "recognize contributions to aerospace safety by individuals or institutions through innovation in advanced safety equipment and equipment utilization."

The current awards of the Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety includes a scale reproduction of the original Bendix Trophy design and a citation.

The race

The purpose was to interest engineers in building faster, more reliable, and durable aircraft. Bendix competitors flew from Burbank, California

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

, to Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, except for two years when the contest began in New York and ended in Los Angeles.

Famous competitors for the trophy included James Harold Doolittle, who won the first race, and several women. Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...

 was the first woman to enter the Bendix, taking fifth place in 1935. In 1936, Louise Thaden

Louise Thaden

Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden was an aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy.-Birth and education:...

 and her copilot Blanche Noyes

Blanche Noyes

Blanche Noyes was an American pioneering female aviator who was among the first ten women to receive a pilot's license. She was Ohio's first licensed female pilot in 1929.-Biography:...

 won the race. Laura Ingalls

Laura Ingalls (aviator)

-Birth:She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Francis Abbott Ingalls I and Martha Houghtaling . Martha was the daughter of David Harrison Houghtaling of Kingston, New York, who was a descendant of Jan Willemsen Hoogteling, who arrived in New York on May 9, 1661.Regarding her mother, Laura wrote: "My...

 finished second. In 1938, Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...

, arguably the greatest female aviator of all time, took home the trophy. Paul Mantz

Paul Mantz

Albert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...

 was the only pilot to ever win the Bendix three consecutive years, from 1946 through 1948.

The race was not run during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Post war winners were frequently military veterans from the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

: the 1956 winner, Capt. Manuel Fernandez, Jr, was the third ranking Korean USAAF ace. By the 1960s, American interest in air racing declined; this is likely due to an increased focus on the space race

Space Race

The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...

 during this time. Lt. Richard F. Gordon, Jr.

Richard F. Gordon, Jr.

Richard Francis Gordon, Jr., Captain, USN, Ret. is a retired NASA astronaut. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon.-Military and flight experience:Gordon was born in Seattle, Washington...

, the 1961 winner, went on to become an Astronaut

Astronaut

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....

 with NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

.

Mister Mulligan

Mister Mulligan (Howard DGA-6) was the only airplane ever designed for the specific purpose of winning the Bendix Trophy. Commissioned and flown by Ben Howard in the 1935 race. The plane was designed and developed by Ben Howard and Gordon Israel, who went on the become an engineer for the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U.S. producer of military and civilian aircraft...

. Mister Mulligan was designed to fly the entire length of the race nonstop and at high altitude. Neither had ever been done before. Howard and Israel, who co-piloted, won the trophy, changing how long distance airplanes were designed.

The second place plane in the 1935 race was actually a faster airplane, but had to make refuelling stops, which cost enough time to prevent Roscoe Turner

Roscoe Turner

Roscoe Turner was an aviator who was a three time winner of the Thompson Trophy.-Background:Turner was born in Corinth, Mississippi, the eldest son of a poor but respectable farmer. He came to realize that he did not want to be a farmer and found that he was attracted to mechanical devices instead...

 from winning the race. The time difference was only 23.5 seconds between first and second place. The winning difference in speed, over the total distance was less than 0.2 mi/h. "Mr.Mulligan" 238.7 mi/h, compared to Roscoe Turner's 238.52 mi/h.

Mister Mulligan not only won the Bendix but also the Thompson Trophy

Thompson trophy

The Thompson Trophy race was one of the National Air Races of the heyday of early airplane racing in the 1930s. Established in 1929, the last race was held in 1961. The race was long with pylons marking the turns, and emphasized low altitude flying and maneuverability at high speeds...

 when flown by Harold Neumann in 1935. Instead of a cross-country distance race, the Thompson was a closed-circuit race around pylons, a type of race for which it was not particularly well suited. Entered again in the Bendix in 1936, the Mister Mulligan was completely destroyed when the craft lost one of the propeller blades, resulting in a forced landing, 40 miles (64.4 km) north of Crownpoint

Crownpoint, New Mexico

Crownpoint is a census-designated place in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,630 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crownpoint is located at ....

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

; this crash landing almost killed Howard and his co-pilot wife, Maxine.

Winners

(MPH)
! Time
(H:M:S)
! Prize
|-
!1931
|Burbank

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

|Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

|Maj. James H. Doolittle
|Super Solution

Super Solution

-References: from the...

|223.06
|09:10:21.0
|$ 7,500
|-
!1932
|Burbank
|Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

|Capt. Jasper H. Haizlip
|WW-44

Wedell-Williams Model 44

- External links :* - Louisiana State Museum-See also:-References:Notes...

|245.00
|08:19:45.0
|$ 8,750
|-
!1933
|New York
|Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

|Roscoe Turner

Roscoe Turner

Roscoe Turner was an aviator who was a three time winner of the Thompson Trophy.-Background:Turner was born in Corinth, Mississippi, the eldest son of a poor but respectable farmer. He came to realize that he did not want to be a farmer and found that he was attracted to mechanical devices instead...

|WW-44
|214.78
|11:30:00.0
|$ 4,050
|-
!1934
|Burbank
|Cleveland
|Doug Davis
|WW-44
|216.24
|09:26:41.0
|$ 4,500
|-
!1935
|Burbank
|Cleveland
|Ben Howard

Benjamin (Ben) Howard

Benjamin Odell Howard , was an aviator and aeronautical engineer from the United States, whose aircraft won the Bendix Trophy and the Thompson Trophy in 1935.-History:...

|DGA-6
|238.70
|08:33:16.3
|$ 4,500
|-
!1936
|New York
|Los Angeles
|Louise Thaden

Louise Thaden

Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden was an aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy.-Birth and education:...

 
Blanche Noyes

Blanche Noyes

Blanche Noyes was an American pioneering female aviator who was among the first ten women to receive a pilot's license. She was Ohio's first licensed female pilot in 1929.-Biography:...

|C-17R

Beechcraft Staggerwing

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger , that first flew in 1932.-Development:...

|165.35
|14:55:01.0
|$ 4,500
|-
!1937
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Frank W. Fuller Jr.
|SEV-2S

Seversky P-35

The Seversky P-35 was a fighter aircraft built in the United States by the Seversky Aircraft Company in the late 1930s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-35 was the first single-seat fighter in U.S...

|258.20
|07:54:26.3
|$ 9,000
|-
!1938
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneer American aviator, considered to be one of the most gifted racing pilots of her generation...

|SEV-2S
|249.11
|08:10:31.4
|$ 9,000
|-
!1939
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Frank W. Fuller, Jr.
|SEV-2S
|282.10
|07:14:19.0
|$ 9,000
|-
!1940
|colspan="7" rowspan="6" bgcolor="#f0fff0" align="center"|No races during this period due to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

|-
!1941
|-
!1942
|-
!1943
|-
!1944
|-
!1945
|-
!1946
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Paul Mantz

Paul Mantz

Albert Paul Mantz was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.-Early years:...

|P-51

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

|435.50
|04:43:14.0
|$ 10,000
|-
!1947
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Paul Mantz
|P-51
|460.42
|04:26:57.4
|$ 10,000
|-
!1948
|Los Angeles
|Cleveland
|Paul Mantz
|P-51
|447.98
|04:33:48.7
|$ 10,000
|-
!1949
|Rosamond Dry Lake

Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...

|Cleveland
|Joe DeBona
|F-51
|470.14
|04:16:17.5
|$ 10,000
|-
|colspan="8" bgcolor="white"| 
|-
|colspan="8" bgcolor="#dcdcdc" align="center"| Jet Class
|-
! Year
! Start Location
! End Location
! Pilot
! Plane
! Speed
(MPH)
! Time
(H:M:S)
! Prize
|-
!1946
|Van Nuys
|Cleveland
|Leon W. Gray
|F/P-80A

P-80 Shooting Star

The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...

|494.78
|04:08:00.0
| 
|-
!1947
|
|Cleveland
|Leon W. Gray
|F/P-80A
|507.26
|04:02:00.0
|
|-
!1948
|
|Cleveland
|Ens. F. E. Brown
|FJ-1

FJ Fury

The North American FJ-2/-3 Fury were a series of swept-wing carrier-capable fighters for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Based on the United States Air Force's F-86 Sabre, these aircraft featured folding wings, and a longer nose landing strut designed to both increase angle of attack upon...

|489.53
|04:11:00.0
|
|-
!1949
|
|Cleveland
|Vernon A. Ford
|F-84E

F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...

|529.61
|03:45:51.0
|
|-
!1950
|colspan="7" bgcolor="#f0fff0" align="center"|No race this year due to Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

|-
!1951
|Muroc Field

Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...

|Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

|Col. Keith K. Compton
|F-86A

F-86 Sabre

The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...

|553.76
|03:27:00.0
|
|-
!1952
|colspan="7" bgcolor="#f0fff0" align="center"|No race this year due to Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

|-
!1953
|Muroc Field
|Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...

|Maj. William T. Whisner, Jr.
|F-86F
|603.55
|03:05:25.0
|
|-
!1954
|
|
|Capt. Edward D. Kenny
|F-84F

F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...

|616.21
|03:01:56.0
|
|-
!1955
| Victorville

Victorville, California

Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...

| Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

| Col. Carlos M. Talbott
|F-100C

F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...

|610.726
|
|
|-
!1956
|George Air Force Base

George Air Force Base

George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits, 8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold...

|Tinker Air Force Base

Tinker Air Force Base

Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...

|Capt. Manuel Fernandez, Jr.
|F-100C
|666.66
|
|
|-
!1957
|Chicago
|Andrews Air Force Base

Andrews Air Force Base

Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....

|Capt. Kenneth Chandler
|F-102A

F-102 Delta Dagger

The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...

|679.00
|02:54:45.0
|
|-
!1958
|colspan="7" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#f0fff0" align="center"|No award these years
|-
!1959
|-
!1960
|-
!1961
|Los Angeles
|New York
|Lt. Richard F. Gordon, Jr.

Richard F. Gordon, Jr.

Richard Francis Gordon, Jr., Captain, USN, Ret. is a retired NASA astronaut. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon.-Military and flight experience:Gordon was born in Seattle, Washington...

Lt. Bobbie R. Young
|F-4H

F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...

|869.74
|02:47:00.0
|
|-
!1962
|Los Angeles
|New York
|Capt. Robert G. Sowers
Capt. Robert MacDonald
Capt. John T. Walton
|B-58A

B-58 Hustler

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command during the 1960s...

|1,214.17
|02:00:56.8
|
|-
|}