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In 1931, Mr. Cliff Henderson and Mr. Vincent Bendix, created the Bendix Transcontinental Trophy - a point-to-point race - after identifying a need for a cross country air race that focussed on endurance and reliability as well as speed.
The race attracted many of the top male aviators of the time, but was barred to women, up until 1935, when the ban was lifted.
The first race was completed in in 9 hours 10 minutes, when Jimmy Doolittle flew from Los Angeles to Cleveland in his Laird Super Solution.
During the war years of 1940 to 1945 there was no air racing, but was resumed in 1946 with a new clas 'J' division for the new military jet planes.
The last propeller-driven race was in 1949 won by Joe De Bona, who finished in a record 4 hours, 16 minutes and 17 seconds at a speed of 470.136 mph.
The last Bendix Trophy Race was flown in 1962. Captain Bob Sowers won the race in just 2 hours 56 seconds, flying an Air Force B-58 Hustler from Los Angeles to New York.
The trophy was revived in 1998 by AlliedSignal the then owner of the Bendix brand name (which later became a division of Honeywell).
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