Page 26 - July 2015 Volume 9, Number 7

Artist’s rendering of the “Woolaroc.” (COURTESY OF WOOLAROC MUSEUM)
gradually disappeared to the west. Next in line was the Breese “El Encanto” cabin monoplane piloted by Norman Goddard. During the takeoff roll, he lost control as the ship entered a gradual ground-loop to the right, coming to rest on its left fuselage side. The right wing was pointing upward in a mournful farewell salute to those who would dare to follow. Next in line to depart was the “Pabco Pacific Flyer,” but it was forced to abort and would attempt another takeoff later. The Lockheed “Golden Eagle” was next and easily took to the sky, followed by the Buhl Air Sedan “Miss Doran” and the Breese “Aloha.” Waiting impatiently, Art Goebel finally taxied the “Woolaroc” into position and awaited the signal to take off.2
When the flag dropped, Art advanced the throttle and the Wright J-5CA engine roared to full power, blue flames licking the tips of the exhaust stacks as the ship gathered speed. In a demonstration of his flying skill and the Travel Air’s generous rudder area, Goebel easily kept the Travel Air heading straight down the runway. He waited patiently for sufficient lift from the wings before easing the stick forward to lift the tail, and
then aft as the monoplane left terra firma and began a slow, laborious climb westward. The Woolaroc was on its way to Honolulu. One of the anxious observers of the takeoff was Walter Beech. A week before the race began he had flown a Travel Air Type 4000 biplane to Oakland to supervise detailed preparation of Griffin and Goebel’s airplanes, applying his detailed attention to both airplanes.
About one hour after departing, the Oklahoma suddenly hove into view from the west and landed safely despite the heavy fuel load. Griffin reported that the engine was “running hot” and blamed the Nu-Aviation fuel for his withdraw from the contest. Meanwhile, the Woolaroc was proceeding on course thanks to the low- frequency navigation signal transmitted by the Army. It would offer reliable guidance only for the initial portion of the journey. Although the radio receiver/transmitter was working well, Davis would eventually have to rely increasingly on long-established celestial and marine navigation techniques during the day and throughout the night until they could receive an incoming navigation signal from Hawaii the next morning.
The Travel Air “Oklahoma” during an engine test run at Oakland airport before the Dole Race began. (COURTESY OF WOOLAROC MUSEUM)
24 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2015