Thompson trophy

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The Thompson Trophy, this one is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

The Thompson trophy race was one of the National Air Races of the heyday of early airplane racing in the 1930's. Established in 1929, the last race was held in 1961. The race was 10 miles long with 50-foot-high pylons marking the turns, and emphasized low altitude flying and maneuverability at high speeds. As the race was flown around a closed course, crowds in the grandstands could easily see much of the spectacle.

[edit] Winners

Year	Location	Pilot	Plane	Speed (MPH)	Prize
Thompson Trophy Winners
1930	Chicago	Charles W. Holman	LC-DW-300	201.91	$ 5,000.00
1931	Cleveland	Lowell Bayles	Gee Bee "Model Z"	236.239	$ 7,500.00
1932	Cleveland	James H. Doolittle	Gee Bee "Model R-1"	252.686	$ 4,500.00
1933	Los Angeles	James R. Wedell	Wedell-Williams "44"	237.952	$ 3,375.00
1934	Cleveland	Roscoe Turner	Wedell-Williams "44"	248.129	$ 4,500.00
1935	Cleveland	Harold Neumann	DGA-6	220.194	$ 6,750.00
1936	Los Angeles	Michel Detroyat	C-460	264.261	$ 9,500.00
1937	Cleveland	R. A. Kling	SK-3	256.910	$ 9,000.00
1938	Cleveland	Roscoe Turner	LTR-14	283.419	$ 22,000.00
1939	Cleveland	Roscoe Turner	LTR-14	282.536	$ 16,000.00
1940	No races during this period due to World War II
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946	Cleveland	Alvin "Tex" Johnston	Bell P-39 Q	373	?
1947	Cleveland	Cook Cleland	Goodyear F2G Corsair	396	?
1948	Cleveland	Anson Johnson	North American P-51D	396	?
1949	Cleveland	Cook Cleland	Goodyear F2G Corsair	397	?