H96.1.1856

This photo shows the monoplane the "Pabco Pacific Flyer" at the Oakland Airport. An Indian head is painted underneath the pilots perch. Livingston Irving is sitting in the cockpit wearing aviator goggles and hat and waving at the camera. Standing beside the plane is a man holding a little girl, another little girl standing on the plane's tire and two women wearing coats and hats. On the back is written, "Livingston Irving (in plane) ...former Magor Benchely, member of family, "Pabco Flyer" crashed takeoff." In black pen is written "Irving mechanic, Mr. Edgar, Mrs. Irving, Mrs. Edgar Breese monoplane." Typed "Livingston Irving & family. Neg. No. 2816. Used 8-16-17." [date is wrong on the use] The "Pabco Pacific Flyer" 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 and second was $10,000. Livingston Irving was the pilot of the "Pabco Pacific Flyer" in the Dole Race. Irving was a resident of Berkeley at the time of the race. he was often called "Jimmie" and was a veteran of the Lafayette Escadrille and the 103rd Aero Squadron during World War I. At the time of the Dole Race, he flew in the Air Corps Researve out of Crissy Field. The plane he entered in the race was a Breese, one of three such planes built by the San Francisco based company, designed by John K. Northrop. The plane was a conventional high wing monoplane with a deep-bellied fuselage to make it faster than other planes. The plane was painted a vivid orange so that it could be seen easily. The sponsor was the Parafine Companies which was where Irving worked as an engineer. The "Pabco Pacific" was the third plane to take off in the race. The plane accelerated slowly and could not get off the ground before running out of runway. The plane coasted off the runway and was towed in by a tractor back to the starting line. A little after 1:00 the plane was refueled and made another attempt. It made it into the air, then stalled and crashed to the ground making it slightly un-flyable thereafter. Irving said the crash was his fault due to overeagerness, nervousness, and lack of experience with a plane as loaded as his was. He later rebuilt the plane as a seven passenger plane and called it the "Redwing". He retired from the Army Air Force as a colonel. (Information provided by articles on the race in the "American Aviation Historical Society" journal, Fall and Winter 1975, by Lesley N. Forden.)

Used: Oakland Tribune