"B. Noyes and L. Thaden Win the 1936 Bendix"
by Andrew Whyte
Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyse sweep over the Cleveland field and victory to win the 1936 Bendix Trophy race. The Bendix Race attracted many of America's most innovative and daring aviators, many of whom would win many aviation records over the years. Up until the early 1930s, the race was completely male dominated and the races were seen as no place for women. Admittedly, it was mainly the male pilots who kept women from competing. The tragic death of Florence Klingensmith at the Frank Phillips Trophy Races in Chicago flying her Gee Bee racer lead to Henderson ruling women out of the 1934 finals. However, women could not be kept from competing for long and the ban was lifted in 1935 following increasing pressure from America's increasingly talented top female pilots. The only question left was, "were women up to the stresses and endurance demanded by the race?"
During the 1936 Bendix race Louise Thaden and her
co-pilot, Blanche Noyse, laid to rest any question of female pilots
ability to take on the best male pilots and the demands of the races
themselves. Following an eventful race they became the first women to win
the Bendix Trophy flying a modified Beech C17-R. Taking second place was
Louise Thaden's friend Laura Ingalls flying a Lockheed Orion.
Thaden accepting the Bendix Trophy
Still Flying...
Beechcraft C17B
NC47024 is presently painted in the Olive Ann Beech and Louise Thaden colors, based on the 1936 Sherwin-Williams Airplane Finishing Specifications. The main colors are Horizon Blue, with Light Blue (Army Standard), Insignia Red (Army Standard), and White trim. It has the exact markings on the cowling the way Louise Thaden had on her C17 model Beechcraft in 1936 for the Bendix Air Race. The rest of the paint scheme is designed like Serial #110. The paint was donated by Buckeye Body & Paint Supply, Youngstown Ohio, Mike Scialabba, Manager, The Sherwin-Williams Co.
This Staggerwing is among the most famous from the
1930s. It was the one that Louise Thaden and Blance Noyse flew to win
the Bendix race in 1936. The NC had been replaced for it being
restricted for the race. Color was blue with white trim and race"62"
was painted on the site. The airplane had been sold to Col William
Brooks for the government of Honduras prior to their racing it. Beech
took serial number 81 and painted it identical to Race 62, and registered it
NC 15835. Louise and Blance toured the U.S. to celebrate their
victory, and set a number of inter city records, Christine St Ong's SW has
the same color scheme. Sn 77 and sn 81 are rumoured to still exist.
In 1936, Louise and Blanche Noyes flew a C17R Staggerwing, c/n77, to victory
in the Bendix Trophy Race, a cross country dash from New York to Los
Angeles, with a total time of 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 1 second.
