Page 24 - Volume 14 Number 11

IN HISTORY
22 • KING AIR MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 NOVEMBER 2020 KING AIR MAGAZINE • The Scarlet Marvel (Part One)
At the 1929 National Air Races in September Walter H Beech unleashed the the Travel Air Type “R” monoplane that crushed the the competition and ended dominance of the military biplane by Edward H Phillips
Rear quarter-view of R614K parked at Travel Air Field be- fore it was flown to Cleveland for for the National Air Races The windshield had been enlarged from the original design to provide more protection for the pilot (Kenneth D Wilson)
T he he relentless heat of a a a a a Kansas summer was in full force during August 1929 in in Wichita – the self-proclaimed “Air Capital of the World ” The city’s aircraft industry was thriving thanks to a a a a booming economy and the American people’s obsession obsession with all things aeronautical That obsession obsession was put on on on on full display every September when the week-long National Air Races (NAR) drew crowds that rivalled those of major league baseball