Vanderbilt Cup Races

An Interested Party: William K. Vanderbilt Jr.

Was Willie K. a supporter of aviation or not?  And did he race one of his autos against a Curtiss airplane?  Further research into the latter question is warranted; the former question can be answered in the positive.  (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug. 10, 1909)

A supporter - yes! (Automobile Topics, Jun. 25, 1910)

Further details of Willie's proposal.  (The New York Times Jun. 21, 1910)

During WWI Willie attended and supported many aviation related functions on Long Island.  (Aerial Age Weekly, Jan. 30, 1917)

The island at this time housed numerous military airfields besides those we are most familiar with.  And many high profile Long Islanders also were involved.  (Aerial Age Weekly)

Willie also supported scientific explorations through his association with the Aero Club of America.  Roosevelt in this article refers to the SS Roosevelt, the vessel used to explore the artic.  (Flying, Mar., 1919)

William K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s Sikorsky S-43 at Roosevelt Field circa 1937.

Jefferson DuMont Thompson

Following his involvement with the Vanderbilt Cup Races, Jefferson DuMont Thompson became active in the use of aviation for military preparedness on Long Island. (Underwood & Underwood, 1906)

  Flying, Nov., 1919

As a founder of the Aero Club of America, he would hold various official positions including head of the Police Department's Flying Squad and head of the first State Aero Commission.  (Flying, Nov., 1919)

Flying, Nov., 1919

Thompson recruited aviators with significant achievements in WWI to join the ranks of the police department's aerial unit.  (Aerial Age Weekly, Feb. 3, 1919)

Aerial Age Weekly, Feb. 3, 1919

As Commander of the New York Aerial Police Thompson attended a reception at the Garden City Hotel honoring the crew of the dirigible R-34 after its flight from Europe to Roosevelt Field.  (Flying, Aug., 1919)

And attending a reception for Captain Eddie Rickenbacker.  (Aerial Age Weekly, Feb. 24, 1919)

And here's a connection between DuMont's Aerial Police and the blog's recent investigation into the Port Washington Seaplane Base. 

The Influence of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

Promoters of the aviation industry often used the Vanderbilt Cup Races to demonstrate the public's interest in speed contests, regardless of the dangers.  (Aero, Feb. 11, 1911)

Fly Magazine, Sept., 1912

Fly Magazine, Sept., 1912

Aerial Age Weekly, Mar. 27, 1922

The Pulitzer Air Races

The Pulitzer Brothers (Ralph, Joseph and Herbert) proposed air races in 1923 to demonstrate the reliability of airplanes as well as speed and compared this to the Vanderbilt Cup Races.  (Aeronautical Digest, Oct. 1923)

Joseph Pulitzer (Aeronautical Digest, Oct. 1923)

"History is to repeat Itself" (Aeronautical Digest, Oct. 1923)

The Pulitzer Trophy (National Air and Space Museum)

Combining Automobiling and Flying

Media attention has recently been given the development of a "flying car"  by Sky Drive, Inc. of Japan.   

However, this is not a new concept and was explored over a hundred years ago.  How successful is the question.  (Fly Magazine, Dec., 1912)

And this 1908 cartoon provided one of the benefits of a flying car. (Toot Toot, Jan., 1908)

The role of the Motor Parkway in the development of the cruise missile