Rare Airplane Shows and Air Races DVD Film - Cleveland, Reno, Sacramento, Vancouver 1940-1960's
Up for sale here is some of the rarest, never-before-seen COLOR film footage of some of the most famous Air Shows and Air Races in North America. Some of the planes featured in this movie are now very famous planes and racers as well as lots of warbirds out at the air shows of yesteryear.
On this amazing film you will see footage from the following events: 1947 Philadelphia World Air Show, 1947 Cleveland National Air Show and Air Races, 1949 Cleveland National Air Show and Air Races, 1954 Dansville, New York Air show, 1955 Philadelphia Air Show, 1959 Vancouver, Canada Air Show, 1968 Reno Air Races, 1968 Sacramento Airshow. This DVD runs around 48 minutes in length and is an amazing watch for any fans of early airplanes, racers, helicopters and jets. Amazing close up color footage of the midget racers, unlimited racers and the jet-class on the tarmac. This would be very valuable for anyone studying or restoring some of these planes. Also featured are some amazing air plane stunt work by the Cole Brothers and Marion Cole. These guys had guts back then! Other unidentified stunt plane daredevils are also featured to at the various airshows. Bi-planes, hot-air balloons, vintage helicoptors and some parachuting are also seen through out the DVD at the 8 different Air Shows featured here. At the 1949 Cleveland Air Races the tragic crash of Bill Odum’s green Mustang which banked too sharply around the 2nd pylon and flipped and crashed into a nearby home killing 2 of its occupants marked the end of organized closed course Air Races in the USA for years afterwards.
That was the end of the 20 years that the National Air Races had been going for. This era of Air Races featured such “hotrods” as the: P-38 Lightnings, P-51 Mustangs, P-39 Aircobras and F2G Corsairs. The 1949 Air Races were won by Cook Cleland in his Goodyear F2G-1 Corsair #94, (he also won the 1947 races too!).
The course was a 15 lap, 15 mile race for 1949. In this movie you can clearly see Ben Mckillen’s #57 Goodyear F2G1 taxiing on the runway..he placed 3rd. You can also see 5th place Charles Tucker’s bright purple plane (BELP-63C) and 6th placed J. Hagerstrom’s #37. (NAA-D51-D). Your can also see black smoke burning in the distance if you look closely, after the crash of Bill Odum’s P-51 Mustang. Also in the 1949 footage you can see the winners of the Bendix Trophy (Cross Country Jet Division). 5 pilots left Edwards Airforce Base in California). The 5 Ford New Republic F84E’s broke previous records and averaged 529.61 mph covering the distance in 3 hours and 45 minutes. In the midgit class at the 1949 Cleveland Goodyear Trophy (midgit) Races you can see Bill Brennano’s #20 “Buster” as well as 6th placed #34 “Estrellita” with elliptical wing driven by Clifford “Kip” Mone. This plane later was destroyed in a crash in 1950. Other midget racers are seen in the air and on the tarmac, including #29, #4 and #59. Amazing! Some great footage of Snowbirds/ Blue Angel type formation flying too!
The Vancouver 1959 Airshow was actually held at Vancouver International Airport, but this was one of the last years if not the last for this, afterwards it was held up the Fraser Valley at Abbotsford. Even by 1959 Vancouver airport traffic was getting too busy to hold such an event. You will not be dissapointed!
