Page 99 - Demo

A squadron of 44 airplanes began the 4th Indiana Air Tour by taking off from Schoen Field at Fort Benjamin Harrison on Tuesday, July 5, 1932. The tour was sponsored by the Indiana Aircraft Trades Association whose spokesman, Walker W. Winslow, said its purpose was to promote and develop aviation in the state by demonstrating its reliability, and showcasing new and improved airports.The tour was originally to have five overnight stops, and two mid-day stops. The first destination was Bloomington, for lunch. Other major cities included Evansville (where the planes took part in the dedication of a new bridge), Terre Haute, Lafayette (where lunch was served), Michigan City, Fort Wayne, and Muncie. Marion and Connersville were added after the preliminary route was determined.During a Tuesday afternoon storm, many of the ships were forced down by the elements, but Bob Shank headed for the airport in Vincennes, where the sun was shining. The return to Indianapolis was on Sunday, July 10.Besides civilian planes, Lieutenant Stanton T. Smith, Commanding Officer at Schoen Field, was in charge of six Army Air Corps planes from the 309thObservation Squadron. Three of them were Curtiss O-1 standard observation aircraft, of which one was piloted by H. Weir Cook, a WWI flying ace, who was chairman of the tour%u2019s planning committee. Lt. Smith flew his plane 15 minutes ahead of the rest of the air-cade, carrying Herbert O. Fisher, Director of Aeronautics for the Chamber of Commerce, as a passenger. One of the commercial planes was an autogiro entered by Kellett Aurogiro Corp. The Indianapolis Exchange Club arranged a program in Indianapolis to welcome all the fliers back home. A few weeks later, a thirty-inch trophy, donated by the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company of Fort Wayne, was awarded to Bob Shank who, %u201cby his attitude, his attention to rules and his piloting ability has done the most for the promotion of safety in aviation.%u201d Shank had flown a Travel Air cabin ship on the tour. For collectors, Fort Wayne produced a cachet for covers when the Air Tour reached there. ( June 9, 1932)Backstamped Plainfield, New Jersey, July 11, 1932