Air Race History: Jimmy Doolittle

Mention the name of Jimmy Doolittle to most aviation enthusiasts and commonly the first thing they will recall is the raids on Japan in 1942 launched from an aircraft carrier with B-25s. Although his time in air racing was brief, Jimmy Doolittle contributed to the legacy of air racing.

On 20 April we shared the "10 Great Pilots" article from the Smithsonian. In that article, they shared the following on Jimmy Doolittle. The paragraph provides insight into his contributions, but also his thinking on leaving air racing:
He next took up air racing and collected the major trophies: the Schneider in 1925 with a Curtiss seaplane, the Bendix in 1931 with the Laird Super Solution, and the Thompson in 1932 in one of the treacherous Gee Bees, when he also set the world’s landplane speed record. With this triumph, he observed: “I have yet to hear of anyone engaged in this work dying of old age,” and retired from racing. [Article]

When reading air race history we often miss out on back stories. When we read about Mr. Doolittle winning the Bendix trophy in 1931, we often don't read that he failed to finish the 1931 race for the Thompson Trophy race (see results here). I think it would be interesting to know the story of the engine problem. A year later, the Thompson Trophy became his also.

Air racing is a byline on the Jimmy Doolittle history page when put in the context of his aviation career. His time in air racing was limited, yet significant.






Photograph from airrace.com