Benjamin (Ben) Howard
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Benjamin Odell Howard, better known as “Ben” or “Benny,” was born in Palestine, Texas, on February 4, 1904, just weeks after the Wright brothers' historic first flight. An accomplished aviator and aeronautical engineer, he won the Bendix Trophy and the Thompson Cup in 1935.[1] He died in December 1970.[2]
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[edit] History
At 17 Howard's interest in flying was sparked when he saw a band of gypsy fliers performing in their flying circus. By 18 he had saved up enough cash to buy a OX-5 powered Standard biplane. In those days learning how to fly was often self taught and Howard thought he was up to it. The Standard was a safe plane and he seemed to be learning fine when while flying was unable to pull out of a spin crashed breaking his leg and writing off the plane.[3]
It took a long time to set his leg but at age 19, Howard moved to Dallas and started working in the Curtiss aircraft factory. The pay wasn't as good as what others jobs paid but what he learned about design and construction of aircraft was worth more than money. Over the next few years he tinkered with aircraft design using spare parts to build his first plane, later called the DGA-1. At 20 years old, Howard was flying an aircraft he had designed and built himself, the DGA-1, accomplishing this feat with only the benefit of an eight-grade education and a half term of high school.
His second attempt at design was at the request of a Houston bootlegger. The bootlegger approached him about modifying an aircraft to include a cargo hold capable of carrying 15 cases of illegal liquor. The customer was delighted with the final result, proclaiming the "rum-runner" or DGA-2 to be a "Damned Good Airplane," and the name stuck, the initials DGA becoming the Howard aircraft trademark.
[edit] Aircraft Racing
Benny, at the age of 26, was competing in the smallest racing aircraft ever constructed, a plane he had designed and built, nick-named Pete, which would eventually win five air races. Benny, an incorrigible scrounger, used material salvaged from aircraft wrecks and scrap heaps to build Pete, officially designated the DGA-3. Powered by a 90-horsepower Wright-Gypsy engine, Pete was flown by Howard to a third place finish in the 1930 National Air Races with a speed of 162.80 miles per hour.
The early successes of Pete convinced Benny Howard that there was a lot of money to be made in racing aircraft. However, the competition was soon outclassing Pete, so Benny and his partner, Gordon Israel, started work on two new and larger aircraft, the DGA-4 and the DGA-5 -— a pair of look-alikes named Mike and Ike, both of which were low-wing, wire-braced monoplanes.
Ike was sponsored by Chevrolet and flew under the name of "Miss Chevrolet". Equipped with a special carburetor, the DGA-5 at one time held the world record for inverted speed (flying in an inverted position—particularly important for acrobatic or military flight). Never content, Howard was always modifying the DGA-4 and DGA-5 and the two regularly traded the title of "fastest".
Mike and Ike had wingspans measuring 20 feet 1 inch, fuselages of 17 feet in length, and their cockpits were hinged on the side. The small cockpit was closed after the pilot was seated inside (level with the rudders), but a large hole accommodated the pilot's head. Thirty small ventilation holes drilled into the windshield provided fresh air, and the engine cowlings varied slightly between the two aircraft.
Landing gear differed significantly. Mike used an internal, shock absorbing system with large wheels to meet racing specifications. Ike featured a unique tandem landing gear of two small wheels covered by a single wheel fairing on each leg, originally designed as a joke, but ultimately proving quite successful. Later, handling problems while on the ground forced the replacement of both planes' landing gear with a more conventional single wheel SPAATs (Skin Penetrating Agent Applicator) penetrating nozzle design.
Soon to follow was the DGA-6, known as Mister Mulligan, which won the 1935 Bendix Trophy (flown by Gordon Israel) and Thompson Cup air races. Unfortunately, Benny Howard and his wife “Mike” were almost killed when Mister Mulligan, leading in the late stages of the 1936 New York - Los Angeles Bendix Transcontinental Race, experienced a propeller failure flying over New Mexico. Both Howards recovered from the serious injuries resulting from the crash, but Benny tragically lost a leg in the accident and Mister Mulligan was destroyed.[4]
After the accident, Ben flew airmail and passenger transports, became an outstanding test pilot and was recognized by aircraft designers as a natural aeronautical engineer. Benny was said to be an aviator's aviator, and was also credited as a man who from natural, inborn ability, could frequently spot flaws designed by the most competent graduate engineers.[5]
A four-seat aircraft, tagged the DGA-8, was introduced in 1936 to capitalize on the publicity generated by Mister Mulligan, to be quickly followed in 1937 by the DGA-9, powered by a 285-horsepower Jacobs L-5 engine. The success of Mister Mulligan also led to the formation of the Howard Aircraft Corporation on January 1, 1937, to produce commercial versions of the now-famous DGA cabin monoplanes, each custom-built by Benny Howard and Gordon Israel.
After producing several of the most famous racing aircraft of the Golden Age of Aviation, the Howard Aircraft Corporation ceased production in 1944. Pete, Ike and Mike are still in existence—Mike is currently displayed as part of the aircraft collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society of Cleveland, Ohio, while Pete is the only Golden Age racing plane still flying with original parts. They are three of the last survivors of that colorful period, an era exemplified by Benny Howard and his Damned Good Airplanes.[6]
[edit] Engineering and Test Pilot Career
The first Douglas DC-3 aircraft were ordered by American Airlines (1935) and powered by Wright Cyclone engines. Soon after, United Air Lines ordered the DC-3, but specified Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines. Benny Howard was dispatched to Douglas to oversee the installation of the new engine. His career at Douglas continued for many years, including piloting the initial tests of the DC-4E, A-26, and DC-6 aircraft. He also served as test pilot on the Budd RB-1 "Conestoga" and other aircraft. He was elected an Honorary Fellow [7] of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Using knowledge gained from his racing days, he developed the Howard Optimizer Kit for the DC-3, and at the end of his career was doing low-speed wind tunnel tests for the Carroll Shelby Cobra racecar.
