H96.1.1864

Photograph shows the biplane the "Miss Doran" on an airfield. Handwritten on the back "Miss Doran." On the side of the plane is the logo for Lincoln Petroleum Company and the numbers of the plane are painted on the tail, "2915." Behind the end of the plane, is a sawhorse. Rock/blocks are positioned under the front tires. Two men in mechanic overalls are standing by the front of the plane by the engine. The "Miss Doran" was one of the competitors in the Dole Race or Dole Derby which was an air race from Oakland to Hawaii from August 16-18, 1927. There were fifteen original entries but due to various accidents and mechanical problems only eight planes actually took off and only two ever reached Hawaii. The race was sponsered by James Dole of Dole Hawaiian Pineapple. First prize was $25,000; second, $10,000. John Augy Pedlar was the pilot of the "Miss Doran" plane. Midlred Doran, the planes namesake, was the passenger. The navigator was Lt. Vilas Knope, US Navy. The "Miss Doran" was a Buhl Airsedan, a biplane with red wings and nose, a white fuselage and blue tail. The plane was owned by William Maloska of Lincoln Petroleum Company. Mildred's father worked for Lincoln Petroleum. Pedlar was 24 and a stunt man, who had not been a pilot for very long. Mildred was 22 and a school teacher in Flint, Michigan. Knope was a replacement for the original navigator, Manley Lawing, who was disqualified. The "Miss Doran" was the fifth plane to take off in the race on August 16, but the plane returned to the airstrip quickly with engine trouble. The spark plugs were changed and the engine checked. The plane, with Mildred aboard took off again around 2 o'clock. The "Miss Doran" went down at sea with no survivors. Many people presumed that Pedlar went into a graveyard spin that he could not pull out of and that he did not have the flying capabilities needed for the amount of instrument flying the pilots of the Dole Race needed. Pedlar with Mildred Doran and Lincoln Oils president Bill Malloska had flown the plane to California from Michigan. Pedlar had benn urged by his friend E.L. Sloniger (who had lost out to Pedlar with a flip of a coin to fly the "Miss Doran" in the Dole Race) to make night departures on the trip to California to test the plane and improved Pedlar's night flying skills. However, Malloska wanted a publicity tour, so the "Miss Doran" took three weeks to get to California after stopping in six cities. Rumors had it that the stops along the way were due to a balky engine (this has been unproven). Aon August 7, just a few days before the start of the race, Pedlar was forced to put the plane down at Mendota, CA, because of engine problems. Apparently while coming in for their emergency landing in Mendota, the "Miss Doran" punctured a tire on the runway. The plane therefore may not have been in the best shape when she took off for Hawaii. (Information provided by "The Dole Race" in the journal "American Aviation Historical Society" by Lesley N. Forden, Fall and Winter 1975.)

Used: Oakland Tribune