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monoplane into a highly-modified speedster capable of setting a new coast-to-coast record. At that time, the record stood at 20 hours, 48 minutes, flown east-to-west by U.S. Army Lieutenant Russell Maughan in a Curtiss P-1 “Hawk” pursuit ship (1924).
Goebel tentatively planned to make the flight in November 1928 flying in an east-to-west direction. First, however, he had to convince Walter H. Beech and the Travel Air Company to tackle the task of making major alterations to the airframe and engine of the Type 5000. Beech’s initial reaction was one of deep skepticism – a viewpoint that was shared by chief designer Horace Weihmiller and his staff.
After further discussions, however, Beech agreed to make the modifications specified by Goebel, and in January 1928 the “Woolaroc” arrived at the Wichita factory and disappeared into the workshops. A small group of skilled craftsmen soon descended upon the blue and orange monoplane and during the next 10 months slowly began to incorporate the changes required by Goebel. He was hoping for a completion date of Nov. 20 – an ambitious goal given the amount of work required in addition to the crew’s obligations of day-to-day aircraft production at the factory.
The primary change to the airframe centered on removing the existing cockpit and controls and building a new cockpit and instrument panel in the center of the fuselage where Lt. Davis had sat during the Dole race. A complete set of “blind flying instruments” were installed to help Goebel maintain control of the airplane in clouds. Control cables for the ailerons, elevator and rudder, as well as throttle, mixture and spark advance/ retard controls and new fuel selector valves, had to be rerouted and evaluated for safe operation.
The cockpit canopy was removed and the nose section covered with wood and fabric to present a smooth aerodynamic surface. Engineers stuffed fuel tanks into the empty cockpit and forward fuselage area, and additional tanks were installed in the wing panels, bringing the airplane’s total fuel capacity to six hundred gallons; more than enough, according to Goebel’s calculations, to make the coast-to-coast dash nonstop. The main landing gear was reinforced to withstand the weight of Nu-Aviation fuel and the heavier engine.
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KING AIR MAGAZINE • 23
The “Woolaroc” was completed during the first week of August 1927. Note the cockpit cupola and sliding window; nine-cylinder Wright Aeronautical J5 static, air-cooled radial engine; exhaust collector ring and the Pioneer Instruments drift indicator mounted on the cockpit door.
(Edward H. Phillips Collection)
Goebel addressed the crowds after landing at the U.S. Army’s Wheeler Field near Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, claiming first place in the Dole Race and a check for $25,000. His navigator was U.S. Navy Lt. William V. Davis, whom Goebel praised for his excellent navigation on the long flight from the West Coast. (Edward H. Phillips Collection)