LA Public Library: Those Daring Young Men: The 1910 Los Angeles International Aviation Meet

Los Angeles CA

11 January, 2022

10:25 AM

Description

Press release from the Los Angeles Public Library: Photo Friends January 10, 2022 112 years ago a remarkable event took place on Dominguez Hill in what is now the City of Carson, Los Angeles County. A scant six years after the Wright Brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, an International Air Meet brought throngs to witness feats of aeronautical daring-do. The 11-day (January 10-20, 1910) meet featured lighter-than-air balloons and dirigibles, heavier-than-air monoplanes and biplanes, and some very experimental—and comical—machines that never got off the ground. The exposition was a media sensation, cementing the reputation of a number of aviation pioneers and establishing air flight as something more than a flash in the pan. Photographs and images from the library's collection tell the tale. The organizers of the event sought out a site where planes could fly safely, and that was reasonably close to public transportation, no freeways in those days! They found it on Dominguez Hill, a part of the Rancho San Pedro owned by the daughters of Manuel Dominguez. The family was persuaded to allow the use of their land in exchange for free passes to the tournament. With financial backing from several eager sponsors, the organizers leveled out the area needed, now called Aviation Field, built a huge bandstand, set up areas for concessions, and improved the depot at Dominguez Junction on the Southern Pacific line, a half-mile walk away. Among the collection of images are a number which are clearly "photo-shopped" for the occasion. No doubt images such as the one below fooled many into thinking the skies were crowded with flying machines! By all accounts, the event was a huge success, attracting some quarter of a million ticket-buyers. While there were any number of mishaps during the air show, no serious injuries occurred. Later meets were not so fortunate; only one year later, aviator Archibald Hoxsey crashed and died in front of spectators at the second Los Angeles aviation meet, held at the same spot as the first. And at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Lincoln Beachey died when his plane fell into San Francisco Bay. The media, of course, had a field day with the concepts and images of air flight. Many businesses were quick to capitalize on the event with special promotions and tie-ins. More significantly, the air meet at Dominguez Field brought aviation home to the West Coast: Glenn Curtiss, Bill Boeing, and William Randolph Hearst are among the familiar names associated with airplane manufacturing who were at the show. On a more ominous note, the military took note of the possibilities flight presented; Army Lieutenant Paul Beck went aloft with both Curtiss and Paulhan, where he tested the concept of aerial warfare by dropping sandbags on a target. Bullseye. Written by Eleanor Boba. Originally published on the Photo Friends blog on January 10, 2020. This press release was produced by the Los Angeles Public Library. The views expressed here are the author's own.