Airplane Racing in Midget Ships

By Frank Dew, Jr.

Scene: Miami Airport, January 7, 1939:

The announcer's voice comes a bit harshened through the loud speakers. "The next event is the 15-mile race for planes of not more than 200 cubic inch displacement."

The roar of the big racing engines has died away. There is still the sound of motors, but they are little, coughing motors--the putt-putts. They're in small, long-winged ships--stock light planes. Some of them will better 100 miles per hour, but not by a great margin. But what difference does that make? They're evenly matched, and this race will be as hotly contested as the 300 m.p.h. races. Slower, yes, but less thrilling, no.

Amoung these putt-putts will be a blue-and-yellow Aeronca--"Little Joe" by name, flown by "Big Joe" Marrs, whose home is just outside Richmond. When he's not racing, "Big Joe" flys for Richmond Air Transport at Byrd Field, and he's given flying instruction to a good many Richmonders. There are also quite a few Richmonders who have had their first airplane rides with "Big Joe" at the controls.

He's a big, husky six-footer with blue eyes and an unruly mop of brown hair that's thinning out quite a bit on top. His soft, easy drawl has calmed many a nervous student. I know--I was one of his pupils, and his even, patient voice certainly soothed my jangled nerves.

He bought "little Joe" second-hand and brought it to Richmond in August. It was a far cry from the trim little ship that it is today. It's fabric was loose, it's paint was cracked and dirty, in fact, it gave the impression that no self-respecting cat would drag it in.

For all it's looks, however, "Little Joe" was only three years old, and "Big Joe" went to work rebuilding it. Since he worked on it only in his spare time, it took the better part of three months to complete the job. First, the wings were taken off, then all of the old fabric was ripped from the fuselage, it was recovered, doped to stretch the fabric tight, and finally painted. The two-cylinder motor was taken down and rebuilt completely.

When the paint had dried, "little Joe" began to take shape rapidly. The wings were bolted on again, the bracing wires tightened, and the control cables fastened. All of the open spaces were covered with tape to decrease wind resistance. Then, on December 9, "Little Joe" was test-hopped by "Big Joe." "Sweet as a peach," was his verdict. So "little Joe" leaves for Miami on the second of January, but "Big Joe" isn't going to fly it down. He and his attractive wife are driving to Miami and his friend, "Chub" O'Neal, will see that "Little Joe" gets to the races. At Miami, more tuning-up and streamlining will be done to insure every additional mile per hour possible, and "Little Joe" will be ready. And we hope that out in front at the end of the 200-cubic-inch race will be, "Aeronca C-3; Joe Marrs, pilot; home airport, Richmond, Va."