Lowell Bayles
Encyclopedia
Lowell R. Bayles was an Air Race pilot of the "Golden Age of Air Racing." He was the winner of the 1931 Thompson Trophy
flying the Gee Bee Model Z
. Bayles was killed in the crash of the Model Z during an attempt at the landplane speed record when the plane crashed at over 300 miles per hour (134 m/s) mph.
on January 24, 1900, the oldest child of R.E. Bayles. He graduated from Newton, Illinois
High School and attended the University of Illinois in mining engineering, but was forced to leave due to eye trouble. He was working as an electrician in various mines around Illinois when he began taking flying lessons.
instructor pilot. He eventually bought a surplus Curtiss
JN-4 Jenny
The Jenny was lost when he stopped over in Herrin, Illinois
during a gang war between Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers Gang
. Birger had been bombed from the air and he mistook Bayles' plane for the bomber and had the plane dynamited.
After a stint back in the mines, Bayles began barnstorming
around the country. In 1928 he partnered with H. Roscoe Brinton starting a flying service in Springfield
, Massachusetts
.
Due to the Great Depression
, orders for aircraft had stopped and the Granville Brothers Aircraft
Company saw the air racing circuit as a way to stay in business. To raise seed money for the air racing operation, the "Springfield Air Racing Association" (SARA) was formed. A group of local Springfield merchants and businessmen who sought to promote Springfield bought shares to fund creation of the racing planes. Bayles added $500 of his own money to be the pilot in the venture.
Bayles flew the Gee Bee Model X
in the Cirrus Derby in 1930, coming in second and sharing the $7000 purse with the Granvilles.
In 1931, Bayles piloted a Gee Bee Model E Sportster in the Ford National Reliability Air Tour
, coming in fourth in the point standing and winning the Great Lakes Trophy for a total of $2000 in prize money.
At the 1931 National Air Races
, Bayles and the Gee Bee Model Z
, christened the "City of Springfield," cleaned up, first winning the $7500 Thompson Trophy
prize with an average speed of 236.239 miles per hour (106 m/s) , then the Shell Speed dash with an average of 267.342 miles per hour (120 m/s) , breaking the speed record for the course, then won the Goodyear
Trophy race with an average of 206 miles per hour (92 m/s).
radial, in preparation for an attempt at establishing another world speed record at Wayne County Airport
in Detroit, Michigan
.
On December 1, 1931 Lowell Bayles attempted the speed record again and made four passes at an average of 281.75 miles per hour (126 m/s) , but did not surpass the old record by the required 4.97 miles per hour (2 m/s).
On December 5, Bayles tried again, diving into the course from 1000 feet (305 m) and leveling off at 150 feet (46 m) as rules allowed. Travelling over 300 miles per hour (134 m/s), 75 feet (23 m) from the ground, the Model Z suddenly pitched up, the right wing folded beyond the flying wire attachment point, most likely due to aileron flutter stressing the wing spar and causing it to fail. The plane crashed alongside of a railroad track in a huge ball of flame and smoke. Lowell Bayles body was thrown 300 feet (91 m) from the disintegrated plane.
Analysis of the crash, based on motion picture film of the event examined frame-by-frame, showed that the aircraft's fuel cap had come loose and crashed through the Gee Bee Z's windscreen. It struck the pilot and incapacitated him, causing a sudden upset in pitch that led to the structural failure of the wing. In addition, tests of a reproduction aircraft have shown that the Gee Bee Z was susceptible to aerodynamic flutter at high speed.
His fiancée, Gertrude St. Marie of Springfield, travelled to his hometown of Mason, Illinois for his funeral, along with Mrs. Zantford Granville.
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...
flying the Gee Bee Model Z
Gee Bee Model Z
-Popular culture:Kermit Weeks, founder of Fantasy of Flight, used a Gee Bee Model Z as his main character "Zee" in a series of children's books set around the Golden Age of Aviation.-See also:-References:NotesReferences...
. Bayles was killed in the crash of the Model Z during an attempt at the landplane speed record when the plane crashed at over 300 miles per hour (134 m/s) mph.
Early life
Bayles was born in Mason, IllinoisMason, Illinois
Mason is an incorporated town in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census. It was named after Mayor Roswell Mason of Chicago, who built the Central Illinois railroad.-Geography:...
on January 24, 1900, the oldest child of R.E. Bayles. He graduated from Newton, Illinois
Newton, Illinois
Newton is the county seat of Jasper County, Illinois. The population was 3,069 at the 2000 Census and subsequently reported as 3,141 by a local newspaper in mid-2000. Newton is home to a large coal-fired power plant and Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area.-Geography:Newton is located at...
High School and attended the University of Illinois in mining engineering, but was forced to leave due to eye trouble. He was working as an electrician in various mines around Illinois when he began taking flying lessons.
Flying
Bayles began taking flying lessons from a former World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
instructor pilot. He eventually bought a surplus Curtiss
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
JN-4 Jenny
Curtiss JN-4
The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...
The Jenny was lost when he stopped over in Herrin, Illinois
Herrin, Illinois
Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,501 at the 2010 census. It is home to Country Musicstar David Lee Murphy, the hometown of baseball's Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, and the hometown of San Diego State University men's basketball coach Steve...
during a gang war between Charlie Birger and the Shelton Brothers Gang
Shelton Brothers Gang
The Shelton Brothers Gang was an early Prohibition era bootlegging gang based in southern Illinois. They were the main rivals of the famous bootlegger Charles Birger. In 1950 the Saturday Evening Post described the Sheltons as "America's Bloodiest Gang"....
. Birger had been bombed from the air and he mistook Bayles' plane for the bomber and had the plane dynamited.
After a stint back in the mines, Bayles began barnstorming
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
around the country. In 1928 he partnered with H. Roscoe Brinton starting a flying service in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, orders for aircraft had stopped and the Granville Brothers Aircraft
Granville Brothers Aircraft
Granville Brothers Aircraft was an aircraft manufacturer in operation from 1929 until its bankruptcy in 1934. The firm was located at the Springfield Airport in Springfield, Massachusetts...
Company saw the air racing circuit as a way to stay in business. To raise seed money for the air racing operation, the "Springfield Air Racing Association" (SARA) was formed. A group of local Springfield merchants and businessmen who sought to promote Springfield bought shares to fund creation of the racing planes. Bayles added $500 of his own money to be the pilot in the venture.
Bayles flew the Gee Bee Model X
Gee Bee Sportster
-References:* * * *...
in the Cirrus Derby in 1930, coming in second and sharing the $7000 purse with the Granvilles.
In 1931, Bayles piloted a Gee Bee Model E Sportster in the Ford National Reliability Air Tour
Ford National Reliability Air Tour
The Ford Reliability Tour, properly called "The National Air Tour for the Edsel B. Ford Reliability Trophy", was a series of Aerial Tours sponsored in part by Ford from 1925 to 1931 and re-created in 2003. Top prize was the Edsel Ford Reliability Trophy. Henry and Edsel Ford were shareholders in...
, coming in fourth in the point standing and winning the Great Lakes Trophy for a total of $2000 in prize money.
At the 1931 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...
, Bayles and the Gee Bee Model Z
Gee Bee Model Z
-Popular culture:Kermit Weeks, founder of Fantasy of Flight, used a Gee Bee Model Z as his main character "Zee" in a series of children's books set around the Golden Age of Aviation.-See also:-References:NotesReferences...
, christened the "City of Springfield," cleaned up, first winning the $7500 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...
prize with an average speed of 236.239 miles per hour (106 m/s) , then the Shell Speed dash with an average of 267.342 miles per hour (120 m/s) , breaking the speed record for the course, then won the Goodyear
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
Trophy race with an average of 206 miles per hour (92 m/s).
Speed Record and Death
Bayles had failed to break the official 3 km World Landplane Speed Record at the 1931 National Air Races. Following the Thompson Trophy race, the Gee Bee Z was re-engined with a larger, 750 hp Wasp SeniorPratt & Whitney R-1340
|-See also:* Pratt & Whitney Wasp series* Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior* Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior* Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp-Bibliography:...
radial, in preparation for an attempt at establishing another world speed record at Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
On December 1, 1931 Lowell Bayles attempted the speed record again and made four passes at an average of 281.75 miles per hour (126 m/s) , but did not surpass the old record by the required 4.97 miles per hour (2 m/s).
On December 5, Bayles tried again, diving into the course from 1000 feet (305 m) and leveling off at 150 feet (46 m) as rules allowed. Travelling over 300 miles per hour (134 m/s), 75 feet (23 m) from the ground, the Model Z suddenly pitched up, the right wing folded beyond the flying wire attachment point, most likely due to aileron flutter stressing the wing spar and causing it to fail. The plane crashed alongside of a railroad track in a huge ball of flame and smoke. Lowell Bayles body was thrown 300 feet (91 m) from the disintegrated plane.
Analysis of the crash, based on motion picture film of the event examined frame-by-frame, showed that the aircraft's fuel cap had come loose and crashed through the Gee Bee Z's windscreen. It struck the pilot and incapacitated him, causing a sudden upset in pitch that led to the structural failure of the wing. In addition, tests of a reproduction aircraft have shown that the Gee Bee Z was susceptible to aerodynamic flutter at high speed.
His fiancée, Gertrude St. Marie of Springfield, travelled to his hometown of Mason, Illinois for his funeral, along with Mrs. Zantford Granville.