This pilot is Tex Rankin, and to his right is my grandfather, Lee Robinson.
Tex's bi-plane, NC315Y, had a Cirrus 90 hp motor. My grandfather was a passenger; although not a pilot, my grandfather had a massive interest in flight but couldn't afford to pursue this line of work due to family obligations.
More about Tex Rankin
Tex Rankin was an American aerobatic pilot, air racer, and flight instructor. He was born in 1903 in Oregon, USA. Rankin was known for his stunts and aerobatics in the 1920s and 1930s. He won several air races and was a member of the United States Aerobatic Team. Rankin also worked as a flight instructor and trained many pilots during World War II. He continued to fly and perform in air shows until his death in 1947.
In 1920, my grandfather Lee was doing ironwork on the Columbia River dams and the dredges. My grandmother showed me pictures of him climbing hand over hand between two giant rock formations called the Twin Sisters located in the Columbia Gorge that runs between Oregon and Washington; there is a picture of him standing right on the edge of McNary Dam and a massive drop to the Columbia River.
From the microfilm archives of the Columbia Basin Newspapers:
Tex Rankin, a genial Texan whose drawl is known to every pilot in the country, Canada to Mexico, his country derbies, his outside loops, and his work on national committees for the promotion of aviation, will fly his ship in the tour and will be one of the star performers of the commercial stunting team.
Tex did many of these exhibitions throughout the Pacific Northwest; this was his stop in Kennewick, WA.
Another article from the Kennewick Courier Reporter Oct 30, 1930:
Kennewick may be again selected as a location for an aviation school. Tex Rankin of the Rankin Aviation School at Portland is inquiring about the possibility of establishing a school here this winter under his reduced rates.
He claims that his equipment is modern and that he has reduced the rates to permit all to learn the art of flying.
I had another long article to put in (and very interesting, packed with information), but it is too long for now; I'll do it tomorrow, Friday the 13th
I lost the article.
Ric
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