Research Needed - November 1936

Bill Mangus · February 17, 2016, 04:12:36 PM

My copy has a date also.

Butler mentions Don Dwiggins' book, "They Flew the Bendix Race" at the beginning of the section. I presume she's paraphrasing from his book, as there are no footnotes in this section. In the Notes section for that chapter Butler cites Louise Thaden, "High, Wide, and Frightened", p 184 and Blanche Noyes, Columbia, OH, p. 22. (Butler, p. 437)

Ric Gillespie · February 17, 2016, 04:35:57 PM

Quote from: Bill Mangus on February 17, 2016, 04:12:36 PM
My copy has a date also.

My bad. The date is there.

Jerry Germann · February 17, 2016, 05:54:32 PM

Quote from: Ric Gillespie on February 17, 2016, 03:24:46 PM
Quote from: Matt Revington on February 17, 2016, 02:04:01 PM
The Bendix Race finished on Sept 4 in LA.

The start was from Floyd Bennett Field in NY - on Sept 2 or Sept 3?

Lot of good information in these documents; http://dmairfield.com/Collections/Chouree_Collection/Documents/1936_NAR_Program.pdf http://scholarworks.csun.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/121651/AlgarJames1978.pdf?sequence=1
I don't have the time to digest most of the contents right now.....Matt or anyone else, if you have the time they may produce some tidbits.

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2016, 07:44:30 AM

Quote from: Jerry Germann on February 17, 2016, 05:54:32 PM
Lot of good information in these documents;

It's the program for the 1936 National Air Races. Great way to steep yourself in the context of the times. Makes you wish you could be there.

Ric Gillespie · February 18, 2016, 01:14:28 PM

Quote from: Daniel R. Brown on February 15, 2016, 12:18:55 PM
MISS EARHART BACK AT WORK
LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 19.—(UP.)—Amelia Earhart was back at the controls of her "Flying Laboratory" today after concluding an extensive lecture tour. Miss Earhart will take the plane to South Bend later this week to confer with Vincent Bendix, president of the Bendix Aviation corporation, concerning a new "homing" instrument and other equipment.... (The Hammond [Indiana] Times, Thursday, November 19, 1936)

This may be important. She already has a proven, easy-to-use Bendix "homing" instrument (the Bendix/Hooven Radio Compass) on the airplane. What new piece of equipment is she conferring with Vince Bendix about? My suspicion: Bendix wants her to swap out the Hooven Radio Compass for the Bendix RDF developed for the Navy and that he plans to soon introduce for commercial use. He needs publicity for the new RDF. The Hooven Radio Compass already got great publicity when it was used in September on the Vultee V1-A "Lady Peace" flown by Dick Merrill/Harry Richman on the first round-trip transatlantic crossing.
THAT is why, in late February/early March 1937, the Hooven unit goes away and is replaced by the now iconic loop antenna.

Matt Revington · March 28, 2016, 01:27:54 PM

Quote from: Ric Gillespie on February 05, 2016, 10:41:08 AM
We're trying to find documentation for a visit Earhart made to the East Coast in November 1936. She supposedly flew the Electra to Purdue and from there to Hadley Field, New Jersey where Bell Laboratories and Western Electric worked on the radios on or about November 20th or 21st. We suspect, but we cannot yet prove, that the dorsal vee antenna was installed by Bell Labs/Western Electric at this time.

We know the airplane was at Roosevelt Field, Garden City, Long Island where it was inspected by the Bureau of Air Commerce on November 27. (Copy of the inspection report attached.)

At the start of this thread Ric asked about when the dorsal vee antenna was installed by Bell Labs or Western Electric from the picture taken in South Bend on or about Nov 23, 1936 the mast for that antenna does not appear to be there. The second picture dated as being in December 1936 in Burbank the mast and antenna is clearly there.

Ric Gillespie · March 28, 2016, 05:13:23 PM

I think we have this pinned down. The dorsal vee seems to have been installed during Earhart's visit to the east coast in November 1936. She leaves
Burbank on Nov. 19. On Nov. 22 she's in South Bend, IN attending a Notre Dame football game with Vince Bendix. It was during that visit that the South Bend photo was taken. No dorsal vee. On Nov. 25 she is in New York. The airplane is at Hadley Field, NJ. for work by Bell Labs/Western Electric. We think this is when the dorsal vee is installed. On Nov. 27 the airplane is Garden City, NY being inspected by the Bureau of Air Commerce. On Dec. 5, AE and Jackie Cochrane head back west.

Martin X. Moleski, SJ · February 10, 2019, 02:14:45 PM

Quote from: Matt Revington on February 15, 2016, 01:11:35 PM
AE with Vincent Bendix (I thinks it's Bendix) at South Bend Airport from:

http://flysbn.com/sbn/history/

We received in email today promoting the new website for South Bend International Airport:

https://www.south-bend-airport.com/

The history page with the photo of AE on the field in 1936 does not seem to be on the new version of the website.