gardencity

Royal Air Force dirigible R-34 at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, after its historic transatlantic crossing in July 1919. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R33-class_airship#R34

Given the aircraft type, the pilot's name, and the fact that this is among the latest series of photos posted from the Bain Collection (which includes photos of the 1920 Collegiate Aerial Races at Mitchel Field), this photo depicts aviator Clarence B. Coombs flying an Orenco Type F Tourister ("Orenco Tourister") at Mitchel Field, Long Island, in May 1920. Coombs' flying the Orenco (built in nearby Baldwin, Long Island) is noted in an Aircraft Journal report about the aforementioned air races (Aircraft Journal, "Collegiate Flying Competition at Mineola," Vol. VI, No. 19, May 10, 1920, Page 6), "At the close of the meeting the Orenco Tourister, piloted by Clarence Coombs and carrying three passengers, established a new altitude record for four on board by climbing 16,000 feet, beating the previous record by some 2,000 feet." See also, additional photos and information on the Orenco Tourister: aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft33176.htm

Clarence Blair Coombs (1888-1944) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41673938

"J.T. Tripp" is Juan Terry Trippe, aviator and founder of Pan American Airways ("Pan Am"), one of the great (and now gone) US airlines. Trippe left Yale to train as a Naval Aviator during World War I, but the war ended before he'd have a chance to fly in combat. After the war he returned to Yale, where he graduated in 1921. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Trippe en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_World_Airways His co-pilot is former Army Air Service aviator, George Willard Horne ("G. Willard Horne"), also attending Yale (Class of '21) post-war. See: archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/99_05/old_yale.html books.google.com/books?id=xjM6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA944&l... Trippe and Horne flew for Yale in the collegiate aerial races at Mitchel Field, Long Island, winning the 25-mile cross-country flight race on May 7, 1920. The race is reported in The Outlook, Vol. 125, May 19, 1920, "The First Collegiate Aerial Races," Pages 103-104, where there is also a contemporaneous photo of them at the time. See: books.google.com/books?id=IQY-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA104&l... The race and competitors are further detailed in Aircraft Journal, "Collegiate Flying Competition at Mineola," Vol. VI, No. 19, May 10, 1920, Pages 5-6. books.google.com/books?id=ssg_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA54&lp... The aircraft Trippe and Horne flew in the race, wearing Army Air Service serial number A.S. 45246, is a Curtiss Jenny variant (Curtiss JN-6HG-1). See: www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1908-1920.html

1920 Collegiate Air Races www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41676997