|
1932 Wedell-Williams Model 44
 |
| The Wedell-Williams Racer displayed is the most-famous of the three Model 44 racing planes designed and built by Jimmy Wedell. Construction on this aircraft began in early 1932 when the flamboyant aviator, Colonel Roscoe Turner (with the financial backing of Gilmore Oil Company), contracted Wedell to duplicate the Wedell-Williams #44, "Miss Paterson." Turner, famous for his in-flight antics with his pet lion cub Gilmore, was convinced that the sleek Model 44 would make it possible for him to win the Thompson and Bendix Trophies. Completed in August 1932, Turner flew the new racer to third place in both the Thompson and Bendix Races that year. Turner purchased the plane from Gilmore Oil Company in 1933 and replaced the engine with a more-powerful version. This modification enabled him to win the 1933 Bendix Race in record-breaking time. Turner's luck changed, however, as he was disqualified on a technicality in that year's Thompson Race. To increase his competitive edge in 1934, Turner once again upgraded the engine. Forced to scratch from the '34 Bendix Race due to a leaking oil tank, a frustrated Turner rebounded by setting a new coast-to-coast speed record the next day. Two days later, the indefatigable Roscoe went on to win his first Thompson Trophy Race. In 1935, Turner finished a close second in the Bendix Race while a supercharger explosion forced him out of the Thompson Race in the seventh lap. Roscoe's misfortunes continued in 1936 when engine trouble forced him to crash-land on his way to the start of the Bendix Race, leaving him with a badly-damaged racer and two cracked ribs. While Turner's ribs mended, the plane was rebuilt by the renowned E.M. Mattie Laird of Chicago in ninety days. At this point, Turner lent the Wedell-Williams to long time associate and stunt flyer, Joe Mackey. Roscoe continued his racing career in the recently completed Laird-Turner LTR-14 and won the 1939 Thompson in that aircraft. Joe Mackey raced the Wedell-Williams for three more seasons but never achieved better than fifth place. After the 1939 races, the now-obsolete racer was abandoned in a Cleveland Airport hangar, amassing storage fees. In the spring of 1947, Fred Crawford acquired the neglected former champion for the Thompson Auto Album, predecessor of the Crawford Museum, in exchange for paying off Turner's storage bills. |
Back to the top
|
|
