Fleet Wings of Fame

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Though lesser known than Charles Lindberg, aviation pioneer Arthur Goebel’s accomplishment, winning the 1927 Dole Race from Northern California to Hawaii, is an important historical event in aviation. Goebel, who began racing motorcycles in 1915 for a prize purse, developed a stellar reputation as a mechanic. After serving in WW1, he returned home and began working for Midwest Aircraft, Inc.‘s (later Mercury Aircraft Company) engine shop. Goebel then learned to fly under the instruction of Hollywood stuntman Wally Timm. He entered the Dole Derby and was the first of two finishers to land. Goebel and his navigator, William Bill Davis, landed their plane, Woolaroc, at 2:53 p.m.; the Aloha, piloted by Martin Jensen, landed at 4:50 that afternoon at Wheeler Field, Honolulu. Two planes, the Miss Doran and Golden Eagle were lost en route. While this important event turned tragic, these are the first men to successfully fly this route.