1919transcontinentalairrace

This must be on or before October 8, 1919, since on that day the Brattleboro Daily Reformer, page 8 column 3 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86071593/1919-10-08/ed-... reported that Brandt was killed and Nevitt injured in a bi-plane accident. The [New York] Sun., October 09, 1919, page 1, top of column 6 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1919-10-09/ed-... reports that Nevitt was killed while Brandt was seriously injured. The evening world., October 08, 1919, Final Edition, Page 20 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1919-10-08/ed-... includes this pair in a list of pilots and passengers starting from New York (Roosevelt Field, Mineola) in the air race across the continent. Air Corps Information Circular, Issues 2-82 books.google.com/books?id=QdBRAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA21&lp... Probably a more reliable source than the newspapers, this states that it was Nevitt who was killed on October 8, 1919 at Deposit, NY. It spells the colonel's name as Brant.

Aircraft Journal of January 1919 books.google.com/books?id=y0o_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA72&lp... has a picture of Brant. A bio in Aviation and Aircraft Journal, Volume 10, from 1921 books.google.com/books?id=UY9MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA690&l... proves that he survived. Later bio at www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108024/ma... and his findagrave site forums.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=472...

The race is described in Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939 books.google.com/books?id=E1gGW_TqLawC&pg=PA30&lp... The course to San Francisco from New York went via Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, and Reno. Nevitt's death is confirmed on page 31. Another account of the race is in United States Air Services, Volume 2 books.google.com/books?id=DM87AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA7&...

Thanks for sorting out what happened in this dramatic story, referring to useful resources, and pointing out the varying spellings of Brant's name. The Library of Congress also has it as "Brant" ( lccn.loc.gov/n2010067667 ). We'll add and adjust information when we update the description.

See

A photo in Popular Mechanics books.google.com/books?id=G3M3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA819 shows this trio and reports that Lt. Belvin W Maynard and Kline finished first in the race from Mineola, NY to San Francisco and back. See also www.ncpedia.org/biography/maynard-belvin

Belvin's (1892-1922) findagrave entry: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=maynar...;

Thanks for identifying them and for pointing to resources to learn about the event. We'll add information when we update the description.

www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106388864