Barnstorming and Early Pilots in the Mid-Columbia Area

Barnstorming and early pilots in the Mid-Columbia area.Index:
May 1, 1924 Tex Rankin vists Kennewick. In 1930 Tex takes part in an air show in Pasco, which is across the river from Kennewick. In 1930 Tex considers Kennewick for a flying school.

Floyd Kelso standing by the wing and his family. Taken in 1920, the Kelso's just purchased this Curtis "Jenny" in Yakima. They are starting Kennewick's first flying service.

As a note, you can see the Washington St. grade school in the background. In 1920, this was the Kennewick Airport!

August 27, 1920, the Richland Washington newspaper the "Advocate," wrote a couple of interesting articles about Lieut. Kelso

4 Mar 1920

Floyd Kelso from Symons Russell Aviation came to Kennewick as an agent trying to access the possibility of Kennewick becoming part of the up and coming Transcontinental Aero Mail service. They needed a stop between Portland and Spokane.

20 April 1920

R. I. Erlichman of the Yakima Aviation Company visited the landing field in Kennewick and was met by the Mayor of Kennewick Mr. Tweedt. Erlichman had a photographer with him who was photographing good landing sites in Washington. Erlichman stated he hoped to help establish the Transcontinental Mail service.

These were articles in the 1920 Kennewick newspaper the Kennewick Courier Reporter. It seems that certain companies were bidding for government contracts and trying to cover all the bases.

22 July 1920

It said J.L. Kelso and sons Floyd and Raymond have sold their highlands fruit ranch and will again enter the flying business. They purchased a Curtiss standard bi-plane. Floyd will pick this up in Yakima. Kennewick will be their headquarters and they will keep flying dates in the towns and cities of the Inland Empire.(This sounds like the first commercial flying service in the Mid-Columbia to me!)

12 Aug 1920

Floyd Kelso and S.J. Coull, a manager for Standard Oil Company flew to Walla Walla and couldn't locate their flying field. This forced them to land in a field full of wheat stubble. (Can you imagine the embarrassment of walking to the nearest house and asking for directions?) On taking off again the tall wheat stubble banging against the propeller caused the plane to need 1/2 mile to take off. This also dulled the propeller so bad the plane on the return trip couldn't obtain more than 1300 feet altitude. The Mid-Columbia is full of hills much higher than this..can you imagine trying to find all the low canyons on the way back about 70 miles as the crow flies! When arriving home he replaced the propeller and then received a distress call from a rancher who had a combine with mechanical difficulties 80 miles from no- where and needed parts flown out to it.

16 Sept 1920

A group of army aviators stationed at Eugene, Oregon have been assigned duty at Camp Lewis in Tacoma Washington where they will direct artillery fire for several weeks.

Tex Rankin

This article came from the Kennewick, WA. Kennewick Courier Reporter, May 1, 1924

Kennewick Field Presents Appearance of Regular Aviation Base

Kennewick today presents the aspects of a regular aviation base. During the forenoon five planes were on the flying field while a sixth was being repaired at the garage of the Service Auto company.

N. Maimer, who is overhauling the disabled ship has been here several days with his plane. Cecil Langdon, of Spokane, who is enroute to the Blossom Festival at Wenatchee has been visiting Kennewick friends and the little scout plane owned by Vern Eickner is anchored on the local field.

About eight o'clock this morning Tex Rankin, of Walla Walla, flew in from Portland with James S. Ramage, of Spokane as a passenger. Fr. Ramage was speeding to the bedside of his daughter, Mrs. Bruce McDonald, who is seriously ill, at St. Luke's hospital. He was in Roseburg, Oregon yesterday when he received news of his daughter's illness. He hurried from there to Portland by automobile and engaged Rankin to carry him to Spokane.

Vernon Bookwalter, aviator of Couer d' Alene, Idaho accompanied by his sister landed here at noon. They were enroute to California.

All of the aviators are highly complimentary of the Kennewick field and believe that if the proper effort is made there is an excellent chance of having the national guard aviation school located here.

This article came from the Kennewick Courier Tribune, July 1930

Famous Pilots Will Give Exhibition of Stunt Flying

Out of the sky Wednesday morning, July 30, at ten o'clock will come to land on the Franklin county municipal airfield at Pasco, the largest single fleet of airplanes ever banded together in one troupe in the Pacific Northwest. From forty to fifty planes will make up the fleet and this will include a stunting team of twelve planes, three from the army, three from the navy, three from the marines, and three civilian planes. They are to put on an hour show that is said to be as good as can be seen anywhere in the United States.

Four Stops Eastern Washington

The occasion will be the first annual tour of the Pacific Northwest States Air Tour association. It will stop at 22 cities in the three northwest states. Pasco being one of four stops east of the mountians in this state. The fleet will arrive here about ten o'clock from Yakima and depart four hours later for Spokane.

New motors, new airplanes, new instruments, new designs, all showing the phenomenal development of aviation in the last two years will be brought here. Each plane represented will be of a different model and the group will offer an opportunity for anyone to gain a definite idea of the progress that has been made in airplane building. They will be on display for the time they are here and people will be permitted to inspect them. The planes will range from the huge tri-motored transports to the tiny moth. An amphibian and a tri-motored Fokker will probably be among the entries.

Many Famous Fliers Coming

Among the famous fliers included as pilots will be six nationally well-known ones, headed by Miss Dorothy Hester 19-year-old girl student of Tex Rankin's, who was the first woman to do the dangerous outside loop and the upside down outside spin, another difficult maneuver. Miss Hester holds the record for outside loops for women and in a recent exhibition at Kelso, she won first from seven men pilots.

Edith Foltx, one of the seven women pilots in the United States to hold transport licenses, and winner in important air races last year, will pilot a light plane and give a short exhibition of stunting.

There will be Nick Mamer from Spokane, famous for his refueling flight around the country in the "Sun God." Mamer will fly a giant Ford Monoplane in the tour.

Tex Rankin, genial Texan whose drawl is known to every pilot in the country, famous for his three flag flight from Canada to Mexico, his country derbies, his outside loops and his work on national committees for the promotion of aviation will fly his own ship in the tour and will be one of the star performers of the commercial stunting team.

Man Who Outlooped Rankin

Gordon Mounce, California pilot who recently set a world's record for outside loops with 22 in one flight, has been signed to do outside loops over the airports, along with Tex Rankin, whose record he bettered. Mounce is an expert stunt pilot also.

Walter Case, Varney Air Mail pilot, whose blind flying recently was praised by experts, will also fly a plane with the other commercial groups. He recently took off from the airport at Portland flew thru several maneuvers in the air and landed the plane without seeing the ground since a hood was used to cover his cockpit.An assistant was in the other cockpit in case of an accident, but he never touched the controls once.

This article came from the Kennewick Courier Reporter, Oct. 30, 1930

Aviation school

Kennewick may be again selected as a location for an aviation school. Tex Rankin of the Rankin Aviation School at Portland is making inquiries as to the possibilities for establishing a school here this winter under his reduced rates.

He claims that his equipment is modern in every respect and that he has reduced the rates to permit all to learn.

More information on Tex Rankin

This article was May 1924

Metal only is employed in the construction of a new airplane at McCook field, Dayton, Ohio, the first of its kind designed by the air service, according to the Army Recruiting News. One such plane made a flight. Both the wings and fuselage are covered with corrugated duralumin, and the structure is of heat-treated steel and duralumin. The weight of the plane, empty, is 3,000 pounds; fully loaded, 4,750 pounds. Unlike most metal-covered airplanes, the CO-1 (its official designation) is not over-weight and can safely carry loads in excess of the specified design load of 1,750 pounds.

Article of 10 June 1924

Spokane will soon be the aviation base for the 41st division of the National Guard with two large government hangars and six airplanes and an accompaniment of thirteen officers and fifty enlisted men, as a result of the aggressive work of the military affairs committee of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce.

Captain John A. Fancher of Spokane, has been commissioned major and commander of the unit and is now enlisting the personnel.

The Kennewick Commercial club made a strong bid for locating this base at Kennewick. Most of the aviators wanted Kennewick, but Spokane, as usual, gets most of the good things that come to the Inland Empire.

28 May 1924

Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Mamer and M. Graves arrived from Couer 'd Alene and are assembling a new plane which they will fly out of here in a couple of days.

15 Sept 1927 Lindbergh comes to the Kennewick area and the Pacific Northwest

Kennewick people twisted their necks and strained their eyes from several minutes Tuesday morning to get a glimpse of the world's greatest living hero, Chas. Lindbergh, who, in his famous plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis," circled over Pasco several times at approximately 11 o'clock. Much disappointment was felt by the people on this side of the river as the solitary bird man did not come near enough to afford a distinct view.
Lindbergh, flying his own plane was en route from Spokane to Seattle, via Walla Walla, Pasco, and Yakima. This little non stop journey he accomplished in about five hours, making quite a number of detours and pausing over each of the above mentioned cities for several minutes. Lindbergh gave a special show for the individuals in the U. S. Veterans hospital at Walla Walla, and to the huge crowds attending the Yakima state fair. At the latter place he circled quite low over the race tracks and grand stand, giving everyone present as close a view of himself and his ship as it was possible to do while in the air. He also flew over the business section of the town and dropped a streamer on which was a picture of his machine and greetings to the city.
Despite the suggestions of numerous friends and well-wishers that it would be safer for him not to attempt to cross the Cascade Mts. Tuesday, owing to thick fog and rainy weather, Lindbergh elected to proceed directly from Yakima to Sand Point field, Seattle, arriving there without mishap of any sort, making the trip in less than one and one-half hours.
In Seattle he was welcomed by enormous crowds both at the landing field and at the U. of W. stadium where he made a brief speech thanking the people for their demonstrations of welcome. In the evening he was the guest of honor at a banquet held in the Olympic Hotel.
A large number of persons were assembled at the Pasco airport to see Lindy pass over. These received the treat of their lives as the distinguished colonel circled time and again just above their heads, giving them demonstrations of the super flying skill possessed by the conquerer of the Atlantic. Ere he headed west once more on his course to Yakima he dropped a brief message: "Greetings," signed Lindbergh.

22 Sept 1927

The National Air Derby held races that inclued Spokane, in which a local man, a Nick Mamer, was the winner of third prize. Mamer won the 3rd prize flying from New York to Spokane. At this same time aviation fans from Portland arranged a race from Spokane to the Rose City with stops in Pasco.

26 July 1928

Aviator extraordinary, Martin Jensen, accompanied by his wife, were guests of the local Commercial club at the weekly luncheon at Plowman's today. Mr. Jensen was the pilot of the plane Aloha, which won second money in the Dole race from California to Hawaii last summer. He gave an interesting account of his flight and also of the search for the Golden Eagle, one of the planes in this race which was lost. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen are touring the country in their plane in the interests of aviation and are stopping at the Pasco field for two or three days. Mr. Jensen announced that he will make several flights there and will take up passengers. Anyone wishing to make a flight in this famous plane can do so by visiting the Pasco air field.
Plans are being laid by the local club to put Kennewick on the map from an air standpoint and the aviation committee of the club has selected several tentative sites for an airport. Mr. Jensen inspected two of these and declared that either one would make a splendid commercial field.

I was looking for this and finally found it! From Richland "Advocate" newspaper..

this was about 1919.

"Airplane Lands in Main Street, Richland."

"You can say, without fear of successful contradiction, that Richland is the only city in this state in which an airplane has make a landing in the center of the main street of the town," was the remark of Lieut. Floyd Kelso late Tuesday afternoon, after stepping from the pilot's seat of his Curtiss airplane, following a flight from Kennewick and a successful landing here on Main street at a point 200 feet north of the Richland hotel. Frank Beste of Kennewick was a passenger, and incidentally doing an advertising stunt for his open air-dancing pavilion. Beste discovered on landing here that his stomach resented this bird like transportation. He said he was sick and looked so, and returned down the river in an auto. On the other hand Lieut. Kelso was as gay as his fellow aviator, the lark, and chatted with friends and strangers that crowded about him and his machine, explaining the modus operandi of the latter and telling how beautiful the Richland district looked from the pilot's seat.

The flight from Kennewick was made in eight minutes-altho a cross current of air had to be bucked. The skill with which Kelso handled the machine, dipping under and sailing close above wires, made aviation appear quite simple.. Richland can now place on the city signboard, directing attention to our free campground, the additional line, "The only free aviation field in the heart of a city to be found in the United States. Land here." Several persons in the crowd were willing to occupy the seat vacated by Mr. Beste on the return trip to Kennewick, but Lieut Kelso sized up the wire situation and said "better alone till I get in the clear." Lieut. Kelso continues to carry people aloft around Kennewick and Pasco. He is booked for exhibition flights at a number of places in the northwest and elsewhere.

Then I found another article …. "Advocate" August 27, 1920

"HENRY FLIES HE DOES"

The aviation event scheduled to take place on the field near the litte red school house last Saturday drew a large crowd of interested spectators. Lieut. Kelso, who has had a great deal of experience in the flying game proved an aviator who inspired confidence in many to the end that Henry Schireman, H. L. and W. L. Kiatt, Harry Moore and Gene Turnbow took chances on the flying game with results eminently satisfactory, to hear them tell about it. Lots of spectators think that "Hank Schirman" is a real sport. Hank has to do some strenuous work for a living, keeping the appearances of the male population of the district up to standard. A friend of his whom witnessed his flight through the air, and who is one of those statistic fiends, spent a day figuring just what our worthy barber would have to do in the way of shaving customers to pay for his initial effort as a birdman. Henry gets 20 cents a shave. He can shave a man in about 10minutes. It cost his $15 for a flying trip. So it would seem that he would have to keep up a steady gait, shaving both friends and enemies for 12 1/2 hours to pay for the privilege of demonstrating to the pessimists who attended the meet that he is a dyed in the wool sport and nothing like an airship flight puts any scares into him. Undoubtedly many more citizens of the town and country will make these trips through the air now that it has been demonstrated to them that there is a minimum of danger, that the sensation of flying through the air is unique and that Lieut. Kelso is a competent aviator and practical mechanic and understands every phase of the flying game.