Jimmy Doolittle, centre, was manager of Shell's aviation department in the 1930s and convinced the company to invest in 100-octane fuel. He had retired from air racing, saying 'I have yet to hear of anyone engaged in this work dying of old age.' Photo by: Charles Trefts / State Historical Society of Missouri

McDonnell Aircraft was established in St Louis in 1939, growing from 15 employees to 5000 by the end of WWII and taking over Curtiss-Wright facilities. The F2H Banshee was the first own design built in large numbers. Note the US Navy Inspection desk. The second aircraft, c/n 250 (BuNo 124953) is getting a nose and wings marked 249. Photo from: Arthur Witman / State Historical Society of Missouri

The CW-21B lightweight fighter prototype framed with the CW-20 large airliner prototype NX19436, which first flew around the photo date on 26 March, initially with double tailfins, and was ordered by the US Army as the C-46 Commando. Photo by: Arthur Witman / State Historical Society of Missouri

Unique photo of the Linburg Imp or Linburg Special, also identified by Aerofiles as the Jacobson Imp. The original 'diminutive racer' by Vincent J Linburg from St Louis was modified with retractable landing gear and a more powerful Warner Scarab engine. Joe Jacobson was a notable racing pilot. Photo by: Arthur Witman / State Historical Society of Missouri

Proud owners of 'Branson Aviation Service, Luscombe distributor' at Meramec, an airfield that appears to be completely forgotten. It was situated just north of the former Weiss Airport (3WE). NC25217 is thought to be c/n 1122. The right Luscombe is NC45430. Photo by: Francis Scheidegger / State Historical Society of Missouri

42-24173 served with the 12th AF in the Mediterranean theatre and with the 9th AF, transporting paratroopers to Sainte-Mère-Église on D-Day. Operators of N28679 included Northwest, Mid-Continent Airlines which was absorbed by Braniff, Stewart Air Services, and even Lockheed. To N12BA in 1970. Flown to Russia in 2015. The CV-240 of American Airlines is N94205. Photo by: Arthur Proetz / State Historical Society of Missouri

Military helicopter apparently on loan to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Photo taken in Blythe, probably at KBLH. The Huey was later supplied to the Greek army as ES-830. Photo by: Charles O'Rear / US National Archives

The Bristol 118 prototype first flew in 1931. It wore Bristol test registration R-3, regular registration G-ABEZ and military serial K2873. After re-engining with the new Bristol Mercury radial it underwent hot weather testing in Iraq. A second prototype, R-6, was fitted with a novel gun turret and designated Bristol 120. Location seems to be Filton. Photo from: Bristol

The AH-63 was beaten by the AH-64 Apache. The photo reportedly shows the type's first flight, which took place at the Bell flight test facility at Arlington on 1 October 1975. Photo from: Vertical Flight Society

Bringing a generator for the clean-up operation following a major oil spill into the San Juan River, caused by a burst pipeline of the Texas-New Mexico Pipeline Company. Originally a HRS-3 of the US Marines, 144252. To AMARC in 1967. N7858 was registered to Aircraft Specialties. Reg cancelled in 1974. Photo by: David Hiser / US National Archives

Jenny Visser-Hooft was a Dutch traveller, mountaineer, and writer. Her husband pictured her before a flight over the volcanoes near Bandung. Aircraft should be FC-417T as this is believed to be the sole NEI army air service C.IV converted to transport, with a T added to the serial. The penguin emblem was used by the service's 3e Afdeling (squadron). In the background is FD-409, a Fokker DC.I two-seat fighter. Photo by: Philips Christiaan Visser / Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

The HERC JOV-3 was developed into the McCulloch MC-4 but in 1960, Drago Jovanovich regained his independence and reworked his small tandem rotor helicopter as the Jovair 4. The 'four-place, four-door' Sedan was still marketed much like a car but by the 1960s the design was rather long in the tooth. Photo from: Vertical Flight Society

A ruthless scam! Although the International F-18, or F-17W, could carry up to six people, this machine was ill-prepared for a flight to Hawaii. It was entered for the Dole Air Race by stunt pilot and actor Frank Clarke who apparently acted that he intended to take part while owner Parkford and aircraft broker Charlie Babb tried to sell the aeroplane, in the words of writer Alan Herr, 'to some desparate aviator in search of fame and fortune.' It was certainly offered to Charles Kingsford Smith who was stunned. Miss Hollydale was either disqualified or withdrawn and Clarke and Babb left Oakland in it on 13 August. Photo from: California State Library

The deadliness of the Dole Air Race was caused not only by the dangers of flying to Hawaii, but also by the participation of hurriedly built, barely tested aircraft. Most were conventional enough in configuration, but the M-1 by Leland Bryant, an architect, was a push-pull with two Bristol Lucifer engines and side-by-side seating by the looks of it. It was built here at Vail Field near LA - note the Douglas M-2 mailplane of Western Air Express. The photo is thought to have been taken in July 1927. On 12 August, four days before the postponed start of the race, the M-1, named Angel of Los Angeles, crashed on a test flight. The British pilot, Arthur Rogers, was killed. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Apparently inspired by Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis in name and design, the Dallas Spirit built by the Swallow company of Wichita was to compete in the Dole Air Race to Hawaii and then to continue to win a $25,000 prize for a Dallas - Hong Kong flight, as mentioned on the nose. After take-off from Oakland the crew, Erwin and Eichwaldt, returned with a technical issue. They took off again on 18 August, promising to look for the missing aircraft Golden Eagle and Miss Doran en route to Hong Kong. However, they crashed into the ocean themselves and perished. The second aircraft is the NAS Air King NX3070. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

El Encanto and NX914 Aloha before the start of the Dole Air Race. What became OAK airport received a 2140 m (7020 ft) runway for the event and the pilots preferred it over Mills Field (now KSFO). However, several planes crashed on take-off, including El Encanto. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

ANT-25 aircraft made two non-stop flights from Moscow over the North Pole to the United States. URSS-N025 landed in Vancouver, Washington on 20 June 1937, having flown 9130 km (5673 miles) in 63 hours. URSS-N025-1 is seen in a cow pasture near San Jacinto on 14 July 1937 after 11,500 km (7146 miles) in 62 hours, having diverted inland because of fog in San Diego. Captain Gromov's crew had enough fuel left to continue as far as Panama but did not have permission to enter Mexican airspace. Photo from: University of California, Los Angeles

Would you fancy a flight to Hawaii - in this? Pilot Parkhurst and navigator Lowes were happy to be disqualified from the Dole Air Race due to insufficient fuel capacity, as their flight from Illinois had not gone well. The National Airways System company from Lomax, Illinois, built and sponsored this biplane which looks stubbier than either the Air King 1926 model, with two pairs of seats side by side in two cockpits, or the three-seat 1928 model. The lower wing had a longer span than the upper wing. The name City of Peoria was not worn. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The very first Lockheed (rather than Loughead) aircraft, the Vega prototype, was bought by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and took off in the Dole Air Race to Hawaii one month after its first flight. It was clearly the most advanced plane in the race but vanished in the Pacific with pilot John Frost and navigator Gordon Scott. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

This little bird, apparently the favourite for some people to win the Dole Air Race from California to Hawaii, was designed and built by reserve naval officer Norman Goddard here at North Island. He crashed El Encanto in the take-off run from Oakland. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum