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100 years ago, on 26 October 1925: Jimmy Doolittle won the Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider (commonly called the Schneider Trophy) and made history flying his Curtiss R3C-2 float plane over a 217-mile course at Bay Shore Park (Now North Point Park) near Baltimore, Maryland.The Schneider Trophy, was an international air racing competition for seaplanes held from 1913 to 1931, aimed at promoting advancements in aviation technology. It became famous for speed records and significantly influenced aircraft design, particularly the Supermarine Spitfire which traces its roots to the Supermarine racers..
The USA hosted the international race in 1925 after having won in 1923 and Baltimore was chosen to be the site. The triangular Schneider race course stretched from Bay Shore Park to Baltimore Harbor Light near Gibson Island to the south and across Chesapeake Bay to Huntingfield Point (just south of Rock Hall). Contestants had to fly the 31-mile course seven times.
Doolittle’s average speed for the seven laps around the triangular racecourse was 232.57 miles per hour (374.29 kilometers per hour). Beating the British and Italian competition
On the following day, Doolittle set the World Record for Speed Over a 3 Kilometer Course of 245.75 miles per hour
The race was a huge international event, Orville Wright himself came to watch, and the victory made Doolittle a national celebrity.
On October 18th 2025 the Essex Skypark Association (N48) and EAA chapter 143 will be celebrating the centenary of the great race at the annual Wings and Wheels Fly in just a few miles from the original race site .
The event starts at 9am and goes all day with food vendors and exhibits .
At 11 am Dr. Jeremy Kinney , who oversaw the restoration of the Curtiss R3C Racer from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will be giving a presentation about the significance of this local event in aviation history
And if you want to be part of history, any pilot that traces Doolittle’s route around the course that day (at any speed they want) will receive a commemorative patch.
So come on out and fly a victory lap with us in the footsteps of the great Jimmy Doolittle . Orville Wright might not show up to watch you do it but I’m sure he will be there in spirit.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Essex Skypark, 1401 Diffendall Rd, Essex, MD 21221-6507, United States
