National Air Races

The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) were a series of pylon and cross-country races that took place in the United States from 1920 to 1949. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew rapidly during this period; the National Air Races were both a proving ground and showcase for these developments.

In 1920 publisher Ralph Pulitzer sponsored the Pulitzer Trophy Race and the Pulitzer Speed Trophy for military airplanes at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, in an effort to publicize aviation and his newspaper. The races eventually moved to Cleveland and then they were known as the Cleveland National Air Races. They drew the best flyers of the time, including James Doolittle, Wiley Post, Tex Rankin, Frank Hawks, Jimmy Wedell, Roscoe Turner, and others from the pioneer age of aviation.

During World War II the races were on hiatus. After World War II the excitement about Air Races waned because the retired war planes were so much more powerful and standardized than the home-grown racing planes of pre-war times. The organizers realized this and tried to counteract it by introducing a class of small racing planes, but they could never recover the old pre-war popularity.

During their heyday the National Air Races provided buzz, entertainment and a proving ground for future professional plane builders and pilots. They also captivated the imagination of artists who created outstanding posters, medals, trophies and trinkets to accompany the events.