Lot 145
John Gilbert "Tex" Rankin (January 20, 1894 February 23, 1947) was an aerobatic pilot, barnstormer, air racer, and flight instructor from the 1920s to the 1940s. Rankin Flying Service trained thousands of pilots at Rankin Field for the US Army Air Force in World War II. He was the 1935 US Aerobatic champion and 1938 World Aerobatic champion. In 1920, Rankin opened his first flying school in Walla Walla, Washington. Rankin moved his flight school to Portland, Oregon in 1922, where he established the Rankin Flying Service. By 1928, Rankin's flying school was listed as the largest civilian flying school in the world. Throughout the late 1920s, Rankin went on tour with the Rankin Air Circus, performing barnstorming stunts throughout the west. In August 1929 Rankin flew his historic "Three Flags" flight; being the first flyer to make a non-stop, non-refueling flight from Canada to Mexico. On January 10, 1930, Rankin established a National Aeronautic Association flying record, for executing and completing 19 consecutive aerial outside loops. In February 1931, he established a new world record for outside loops, completing 78 consecutive loops in 88 minutes. Later that same year, Rankin would set the world record a third time, with a total of 131 loops. Rankin's record stands to this day. Rankin became the U.S. Aerobatic Champion in 1935, at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1938, by then already well known as a stunt pilot and technical director in Hollywood, Rankin won the International Aerobatic Trophy at the International Aerobatic Competition in St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of 48, Rankin was the oldest entrant in the competition. Rankin's own "Rankin System of Flying Instruction" student instructional books were well known standard reading texts for flying school students throughout the world. Rankin performed daily aerobatic flights to the delight of the crowds at the San Francisco World's Fair. While living in Hollywood, Tex became a member of the Hollywood Motion Pictures Pilot Association and the Screen Actors Guild. Among the celebrities taught to fly by Rankin himself were James Stewart, Errol Flynn, and Edgar Bergen. Tex Rankin was killed in a plane crash on February 23, 1947 in Klamath Falls, OR, when the Seabee he was piloting suffered a power failure upon takeoff and struck a 70-foot-high tension line which overturned the airplane. Two of Rankin's passengers on the business flight were killed and one was injured. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
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Dimensions:
- 3-5/8" x 6.5" Condition:
- Excellent Condition
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