H96.1.1937

Clipping from Tribune on the back, Jul. 24, 1939-- "Though he never saw his father, William P. Erwin Jr., 12, today saw the bronze plaque at the Oakland Airport honoring the man who plunged into the Pacific with his plane while on a mercy flight seeking to aid the pioneering Dole Race pilots. Left to right are F.H. Wianwright, a close friend of the dead flier; young Erwin, and Guy Turner, manager of the airport. The boy came here as a guest of Capt. Bill Erwin Post 337 of the American Legion.- Tribune photo." Photo shows the two men and the boy standing in front of a large plaque that says "Transpacific Flight Memorial" and lists the name of the flyers who made or attempted to make the flight to Hawaii across the Pacific in the early days of aviation. 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 place was $25,000 and second, $10,000. The "Dallas Spirit" was piloted by Captain William P. Erwin of Dallas, Texas. Alvin A. Eichwaldt of Hayward, Ca. was the navigator. Erwin was America's third ranking ace in World War I. He had intended to navigate the plane himself and take his new, young wife with him. But his wife was disqualified because she was too young and Erwin was convinced to sign on a navigator, Eichwaldt. Erwin was also competing in another race in conjunction with the Dole Race. The other race was to be the first Dallas-Hong Kong flight with a prize of $25,000 offered by William E. Easterwood, Jr. The "Dallas Spirit" was a Swallow, a one of a kind plane built especially for the Dole Race. The plane was painted silver with the wings painted green, with a fuel capacity of 480 gallons and a wingspan of 48 ft. The plane was sponsored by several Dallas area businessmen and civic leaders. Erwin's plane took off last in the race but returned fairly quickly with a piece of fabric trailing behind it. The plane required repairs and was out of the race. Two days later Erwin announced he would also go out to look for the missing flyers and planes from the race. He also still hoped to win the prize for the trip to Hong Kong. Erwin radioed various transmissions for several hours. The plane took off a little after 2:00 and the last transmission, an S.O.S., was received at 9:02. The plane was presumed to have gone down in a graveyard spin, making the total death count from the race, both directly and indirectly, 10. (Information provided by Lesley Forden. "The Dole Race," in "American Aviation Historical Society." Fall and winter, 1975.)

Used: Oakland Tribune