Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Air Derby and the Thrilling First Flights That Opened the Pacific - Paperback

by Jason Ryan (Author)

Race to Hawaii is the thrilling account of the first flights to Hawaii during the Golden Age of Aviation. The Dole Derby was an unprecedented 1927 air race in which eight planes set off at once across the Pacific, all eager to reach the islands first and claim a cash prize offered by "Pineapple King" James Dole. Military men, barnstormers, a schoolteacher, a Wall Street bond salesman, a Hollywood stunt flyer and veteran World War aces all encountered every type of hazard during their perilous flights. These fearless pilots flew unreliable and fragile aircraft outfitted with primitive air navigation equipment. With so many pilots taking aim at the tiny far-flung islands in so many different types of planes, everyone wondered who would reach Hawaii first, or at all.

Author Biography

Jason Ryan is the author of Jackpot: High Time, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs and Hell Bent: One Man's Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob. He is a contributing reporter to The State newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as The Daily Beast.