HOME MOVIES: 1920s-30s U.S. NAVY AVIATION

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1935

Format: 16mm

Description: Shot by an unknown amateur filmmaker who was somehow connected to the aviation industry -- or possibly a U.S. Navy aviator -- this film contains many fascinating scenes related to early U.S. Navy aviation. It begins with footage shot in 1935 in the Washington, D.C. area, this well edited home movie begins with shots of Curtiss biplane fighter aircraft (:10). These are probably U.S. Navy F7C Seahawks and the location is likely the U.S. Navy Naval Air Station Anacostia. At (:41) Navy Day is celebrated in 1929, with an impressive array of airplanes on the flightline and taking off (1:13) in groups. At (1:24) Al Williams is shown in a "Navy Hawk". (Williams was best known for winning the Pulitzer Trophy for the Navy by establishing the world's speed record, at 266,51 miles an hour in 1923.) At 1:40 Williams flies inverted and performs a series of stunts for onlookers. At (2:10) a plane puts down a smokescreen over the field. At (2:39) the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race of 1929 is shown, as an on-looker would have seen it. The date was May 25 and Lieutenant William G. Tomlinson, USN, took first place. He flew the XF7C-1 (Seahawk prototype) seaplane with an average speed of 162.52 MPH. He completed the 100-mile race course before his nearest competitor had entered the final twenty miles. (Note the Capitol Building clearly visible behind the Potomac river at 6:23). At (6:52) the dirigible USS Los Angeles is shown in flight over Philadelphia. The date is likely September 6, 1928, when the airship traveled there as part of the Sesquicentennial. At (7:28) the Navy Day celebrations in 1928 are shown. At (8:24) a Seahawk with N.A.S. Anacostia markings is clearly shown. At (8:38) the "Three Sea Hawks Los Angeles 1928" card likely refers to Navy pilots who performed at the 1928 National Air Races at Mines Field (now LAX) in Los Angeles.

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