Page 21 - Volume 12, Number 7

Model AW three-view drawing (ROBERT PICKETT COLLECTION/TEXTRON AVIATION)
Model AA powered by a modified Anzani engine. All the Cessna entrants arrived safely at Roosevelt Field near New York City. Ahead of them lay 3,000 miles of rough, tough competitive flying. Of the eight Cessna ships entered, Clyde was particularly confident that the Model AW flown by Rowland stood an excellent chance of taking top honors in the Class A Division. Compared to the biplanes and other monoplanes in that division, the Model AW had less aerodynamic drag, was capable of averaging more than 110 mph while achieving about 21 miles per gallon of fuel burned.
On Sept. 5, the field of 26 com- petitors took off in the pre-dawn darkness and headed west toward Los Angeles. Earl Rowland was the 13th pilot to depart, and Clyde knew he would “give his all” to win the Class A Division for the Cessna Aircraft Company. Earl was doing exactly that – the pilot who reached Mines Field in Los Angeles with the lowest cumulative en route times would be declared the winner. As the race progressed westward, Rowland had built up a nine-minute lead over his closest competitor, Robert Dake, who was flying an American Moth biplane. At Kansas City Earl’s lead increased further, and when he landed at the next designated stopover point, Travel Air Field in Wichita, Earl maintained a substantial lead over Dake.
At Fort Worth Earl had more than a 30-minute advantage over Dake.
economy and ease of maintenance.
In addition, the Warner company
provided excellent support. As a
result, the Scarab proved to be the
ideal engine for Cessna’s best-selling and Curtis Quick would fly one monoplane, the Model AW.
Clyde entered eight airplanes in the Derby: One Model AW, flown by local pilot Earl Rowland, six Model BW monoplanes, and Clyde
In autumn of 1928, Clyde realized that the growing number of air races being held across the United States provided an excellent opportunity to advertise the speed of his airplanes. It would, however, take a special event with a good chance of seeing a Cessna in the winner’s circle to convince Mr. Cessna to participate. That special event was the New York-Los Angeles Air Derby – one of four cross-country speed dashes planned as part of the National Air Races that year.
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