page_title: Dole Air Race
section_title: The Dole prize
hierarchical_section_title: Dole Air Race / The Dole prize
caption_attribution_description: English: James Drummond Dole (1877–1958), was the early promoter of the Pineapple industry in Hawaii. He founded the company now known as the Dole Food Company. In 1927 (about the time this photo is dated by the LOC) he sponsored an Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu. Library of Congress Reproduction number LC-DIG-ggbain-34941 although the entry there says "J. H. Dole" it is the same pose as given in many other places, such as http://harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/dole.html which credits it to Harvard Archives, and implies that it was published in a 1924 Harvard class book.
context_page_description: The Dole Air Race, also known as the Dole Derby, was a deadly air race across the Pacific Ocean from Oakland, California to Honolulu in the Territory of Hawaii held in August 1927. There were eighteen official and unofficial entrants; fifteen of those drew for starting positions, and of those fifteen, two were disqualified, two withdrew, and three aircraft crashed before the race, resulting in three deaths. Eight aircraft eventually participated in the start of the race on August 16, with only two successfully arriving in Hawaii; Woolaroc, a Travel Air 5000 piloted by Arthur C. Goebel and William V. Davis, arrived after a 26​¹⁄₄-hour flight, leading runner-up Aloha by two hours.
  Of the unsuccessful six aircraft, two crashed on takeoff, two were forced to return for repairs, and two went missing during the race. One of the aircraft that was repaired took off again to search for the missing aircraft several days later and also vanished over the sea. In all, before, during, and after the race, ten lives were lost and six airplanes were lost or damaged beyond repair.
context_section_description: Inspired by Charles A. Lindbergh's successful trans-Atlantic flight, James D. Dole, the Hawaii pineapple magnate, announced on May 25, 1927 a prize of US$25,000 (equivalent to $370,000 in 2019) for the first fixed-wing aircraft to fly the 3,870 kilometers (2,405 mi) from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, and US$10,000 (equivalent to $150,000 in 2019) for second place. The flights would have to complete in the 12 months following August 15, 1927. Dole stated he hoped that Lindbergh would compete. The prospect of breaking more long-distance flight records enticed other wealthy businessmen to offer similar Pacific-conquering prizes: Sid Grauman offered US$30,000 (equivalent to $440,000 in 2019) to the first to fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo, and William Easterwood offered a similar US$25,000 (equivalent to $370,000 in 2019) prize for the first to fly from Dallas to Hong Kong in three stops and no more than six days. All the wealthy patrons hoped to draw Lindbergh.
  The Honolulu chapter of the National Aeronautic Association drew up rules for the Dole race.
caption: James D Dole
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