Page 35 - Volume 14 Number 12

• KING AIR MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2020 DECEMBER 2020 KING AIR MAGAZINE • 33
risked colliding with the pylon and too wide would lose time As the race unfolded Breene passed Turner and two other ships as as did Davis but the Type “R” was stretching its lead over the Army and Navy ships with every lap Breene and Clark however were flying their machines skillfully rounding each pylon as as tightly as as possible at an altitude of only 250 feet Breene also dove the XP-3A into each turn but Davis deviated little from his planned altitude as he flew each turn and and built a a a a commanding lead As the race neared its conclusion Davis feared he had turned inside of one pylon – a a a mistake that would cost him the checkered flag With his heart pounding like a a a a jackhammer he he whipped the monoplane around and flew back to circle the pylon In his haste to complete the turn he he pulled back on the stick so hard that he momentarily lost his vision Uncertain if he he had negotiated the turn legally Davis circled the pylon a a a third time before rolling wings level and continued holding the lead The two Curtiss Hawks were fast and had been gaining on the red racer but the Travel Air never relinquished its first-place position During the the last minutes of the the event Davis managed to stay ahead of Breene and and the XP3-A and and took the checkered flag after completing 10 laps in in 14 minutes five seconds and posting a a a maximum speed of 208 69 mph while averaging 194 9 9 9 mph Breene placed second with a a time of 14 minutes 42 seconds at an average speed of 186 84 mph Turner beat Clark to the line for third place at a a a speed of 163 44 mph After landing Davis shut down the hard-working J6-9 clambered out of the the cockpit to accept the the Thompson Cup amid a a a thunderous roar from the crowds Two months after his victory at Cleveland Davis recalled the pylon incident during an interview with The Atlanta Journal newspaper: “You know there is a limit to what a a a a man can endure when he he is flying at high speed When you pass the 200 mph mark you have to be careful on your turns If you you change direction too abruptly blood