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What kind of race was the Bendix Trophy Race, added to the National Air Races in 1931?

A cross-country speed race from the West Coast to Cleveland.

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  1. A race around pylons at one airport
  2. A balloon race over the ocean
  3. A cross-country speed race to Cleveland ✔

Why: The Bendix started on the West Coast and finished at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. The Thompson Trophy was the other big event, a race for fast land planes. Races like these pushed airplanes to go faster.

Huh, didn't know that: In 1936 Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes became the first women to win the Bendix.

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Why did the racing plane win? It had a lot of drive, and even more thrust.
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References

Answer: A cross-country speed race to Cleveland. The Bendix started on the West Coast and finished at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. The Thompson Trophy was the other big event, a race for fast land planes. Races like these pushed airplanes to go faster.

  1. CAP Teacher's Guide for Aerospace: The Journey of Flight (lesson outlines) www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/2nd_edition_Teachers_Guide_5D3166D76F9B1.pdf
    It was a transcontinental speed race that began on the west coast and stopped at Cleveland, Ohio.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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