National Air Races

The National Air Races were a series of events in the U.S., where several air races were conducted in a context event. The aim of the National Air Races was the improvement of aircraft technology, particularly the speed. They were carried out 1920-1949.

It began with the Pulitzer Trophy Air Race in Long Iceland, in 1920 by publisher Ralph Pulitzer, son of Joseph Pulitzer donated to advertise for flying and his newspaper New York World. The most famous individual races were the Thompson Trophy, a sprint race and the Bendix Trophy, a long distance race. Today can only be found at the National Championship Air Races air racing regularly in 6 different aircraft classes instead.