Compass calibration for Woolaroc, the eventual winner of the Dole Air Race. Pilot Art Goebel and navigator William Davis took 26 hours to reach Honolulu. Woolaroc - woods, lake, rock - is the name of the Oklahoma ranch of Frank Phillips, of Phillips Petroleum, who owned the aircraft. It is preserved on the ranch since 1929. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The Breese Model 5 was designed for the Dole Air Race. This machine was flown solo by Maj Livingston Irving, who served with the 103rd Aero Squadron in France in 1918 - note the unit's Indian head insignia. Irving crashed the heavy-loaded aircraft on his second take-off attempt. The registration was not worn on race day. Sister aircraft NX914 Aloha was one of only two contenders to reach Hawaii. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The Travel Air 5000 was designed as a small airliner. Ernest Smith succeeded in flying the prototype from Oakland to Hawaii in July 1927, despite crashing into a thorn tree on arrival. One month later the Travel Air 5000 Special, NX869 Woolaroc, won the disastrous Dole Air Race over the same route. Seen here just before take-off, sister aircraft Oklahoma was not successful - pilot Bennett Griffin aborted the race with a technical problem and returned to Oakland. Reg not painted on race day. Photo from: California State Library

Only two aircraft made it from California to Hawaii in the tragic Dole Air Race. Seven crashed before or during the race. Miss Doran disappeared in the Pacific without trace, carrying pilot Augy Pedlar, navigator Vilas Knope and the brave passenger, Mildred Doran. There was no radio on board. The name Miss Doran was worn frontally. Photo from: California State Library

Built as A-26C S/N 44-35640. Sold surplus in 1957 and used as the prototype for the Smith Tempo II executive modification of the A-26. Only one other Tempo II was built. At the time slide was taken it was owned by University of Nevada (from 1968 to 1980) for their Desert Research Institute. Crashed on 2 March 1980 after icing up while on a weather research flight over the Sierra Nevada mountains with no survivors.

Delivered new to Swissair as HB-IRT. This a/c is now at the Castle Air Museum painted as USCG HC-131A 5785.

Has the Mobil Oil logo on the tail.

To the National Museum of the USAF in 1982.

Undergoing maintenance at home base, shortly after having been painted with its original yellow NACA tail markings. Built as B-29 45-21787. Transferred to US Navy as P2B-1S BuNo. 84029. Previously used as inflight launch aircraft for the D-558-II SkyRocket.

Preserved at the Western Aerospace Museum which is now called the Oakland Aviation Museum.

Johnson Flying Service is best known for its Ford Tri-Motors and the US Forest Service "Smoke Jumpers", but they also operated this C-46 and a DC-3 out of Missoula, Montana. For those who look at backgrounds - that is an Oakland Navy Reserve Lockheed PV-2.

Handed over to the RAF in May 1941, but remained based at Albuquerque, NM for training of RAF pilots by TWA instructors. Damaged in a landing accident in Jun 1941. Rebuilt as an RLB-30 with a solid keel (no bomb bay doors) and loaned to Consolidated for pax & cargo flights between their production plants in the USA. Operated with USAAF roundels as seen here, but reason unknown as still British-owned. Ownership transferred to Consolidated and registered to them as NL24927 on 1 Apr 1947. Sold to the Continental Can Company as an executive aircraft on 10 Nov 1948 as N1503. Became XC-CAY with PEMEX on 4 Nov 1959, then to N12905 with the Confederate Air Force in Jun 1968. Reregistered N24927 in Oct 1990 and was still flying as such by 2019.