Jetrader - Winter 2014 - 45

contestants who would take off one at a
time. The prize would be for the shortest
time, regardless of who arrived at Hawaii
first. Thanks partly to the publicity created
by the crashes, thousands of spectators
came to watch the takeoffs. The starting
lineup was:
1. Oklahoma
2. El Encanto
3. Pabco Pacific Flyer
4. Golden Eagle
5. Miss Doran
6. Dallas Spirit
7. Aloha
8. Woolaroc
All eight aircraft were single-engine
types, and all were powered by Wright J-5
Whirlwind radial engines-the same type as
was on Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. Except
for the Lockheed Vega Golden Eagle, all of the
aircraft were, well, simply ugly. Only their
designers could admire them for their looks.
First off was Oklahoma, a Travel Air 5000.
It soon came back with engine troubles.
El Encanto (The Charm) was unable to
get airborne. The two men crawled out of
the wreckage.
Pablo Pacific Flyer, a Breese-Wild
Monoplane, wrecked on its second attempt
to take off.
The sleek Lockheed Vega Golden Eagle
made a clean takeoff just after noon,
headed west and was soon out of sight.
The Miss Doran, a red, white and blue
Buhl biplane, was the crowd's favorite.
Besides the pilot and navigator, also on
board was Mildred Doran, a colorful young
Michigan school teacher who had a passion for airplanes and begged to go along
for the ride. How could they say no? They
even named the plane after her. They took
off and in 10 minutes came back with
engine problems.
The Dallas Spirit, a Swallow monoplane,
lost a section of its fabric covering and
came back to Oakland.
The last two scheduled to take off were
Aloha, another Breese-Wilde monoplane,
and Woolaroc, a Travel Air 5000. They took
off with no problems.
They were soon followed by the
Miss Doran whose engine problem had
been fixed.
So, out of the eight starters, four racers
were now over the Pacific on their way to
Hawaii. It seemed like a fine beginning for
the Pineapple Derby after all.

Oakland Airport crowd watches the Lockheed Vega Golden Eagle taking off for Hawaii. The aircraft
disappeared en route and was never seen again. On the far side of the runway is the wreckage of
Pabco Pacific Flyer with one wing pointing skyward. It had crashed on a second attempt to take
off. Photo from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive.

At the Finish Line
The next day there were more than
20,000 people at Wheeler Field near
Honolulu waiting to greet the arriving fliers. A band was playing, dancing hula girls
were ready with flower leis to put around
the necks of the pilots, flags were flying
and the territorial governor was polishing
his speech.
Shortly after noon, the Woolaroc landed
and taxied to the reviewing stand. Their
time was 26 hours, 17 minutes. James Dole
greeted the pilots, who were surprised
that none of the other planes had arrived
ahead of them. After two suspenseful
hours, Aloha touched down with a time
of 28 hours, 16 minutes. There was soon
an uneasy calm among the crowd. Where

were the others? The Golden Eagle was a
fast airplane that left before Woolaroc and
Aloha, so it should have arrived by now.
And what about the Miss Doran?
A gala celebration and feast had been
prepared for the evening, but no one was in
a mood to celebrate. False rumors abounded
that the missing fliers had come down on
other islands or had been picked up at
sea, so the crowds were alternately torn
between relief and dismay. Then began one
of the greatest-ever maritime searches. The
search reportedly included 39 warships and
19 merchant vessels that were dispatched
from the islands and the mainland or were
already at sea. Not a trace was found of the
two missing aircraft and their five occupants. To make matters even worse, an

The Woolaroc, a Travel Air 5000, the winner of the Dole Air Derby in August 1927, getting a push
from the ground crew as it prepares to take off. The pilot's head can be seen in the little glass
"greenhouse" above the wing. Photo from the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive.
Jetrader * Winter 2014 45

Jetrader - Winter 2014

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