Jimmy Doolittle

James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American aviation pioneer. Doolitle served with great distinction as a general in the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War, earning the Medal of Honor as the commander of the Doolittle Raid.

Early years

He was born in Alameda, California, spent his youth in Nome, Alaska, attended Los Angeles Junior College, and spent a year at the University of California School of Mines before leaving in October 1917 to enlist in the Signal Corps Reserve as a flying cadet. Doolittle trained at the University of California School of Military Aeronautics at Rockwell Field, California, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps' Aviation Section on March 11 1918.

Related Topics:
Alameda, California - Nome, Alaska - Los Angeles Junior College - University of California School of Mines - 1917 - Signal Corps Reserve - University of California School of Military Aeronautics - Rockwell Field, California - March 11 - 1918

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During World War I he was not a member of the Lafayette Escadrille as some historians write. A hapless namesake who served briefly in the famous Lafayette Escadrille suffered several mishaps and left the service. Instead, Doolittle stayed in the United States as a flight instructor. He performed his war service at Camp Dick, Texas, Wright Field, Ohio, Gerstner Field, Louisiana, Rockwell Field, California, Kelly Field, Texas, and Eagle Pass, Texas.

Related Topics:
World War I - Lafayette Escadrille - Camp Dick, Texas - Wright Field, Ohio - Gerstner Field, Louisiana - Rockwell Field, California - Kelly Field, Texas - Eagle Pass, Texas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Doolittle's service at Rockwell Field consisted of instructor duty as Flight Leader and Gunnery Instructor. At Kelly Field, Doolittle served with the 104th Aero Squadron and the 90th Aero Squadron, and it was with the latter unit that he performed line duty at Eagle Pass. This duty consisted of participating in the Border Patrol that had started prior to the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916, and which was turned over to the Department of the Treasury in 1921.

Related Topics:
104th Aero Squadron - 90th Aero Squadron - Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 - Department of the Treasury

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Qualifying for retention at the start of the Reduction In Force at the end of the declared War Emergency, 2nd Lieutenant Doolittle received a Regular Army commission, and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on July 1 1920. Subsequent to this, Doolittle attended the Air Service Mechanical School at Kelly Field and the Aeronautical Engineering Course at McCook Field, Ohio.

Related Topics:
July 1 - 1920 - McCook Field, Ohio

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Doolittle was one of the most famous pilots during the inter-war period. In September 1922, Doolittle made the first of many pioneering flights. He flew a DeHavilland DH-4 - which was equipped with pioneering navigational instruments - in the first cross-country flight, from Pablo Beach, Florida, to San Diego, California, in 21 Hours and 19 Minutes, making only one refueling stop at Kelly Field. The US Army gave him a Distinguished Flying Cross for this historic feat. Following this, Doolittle was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by the University of California, even though he had never finished his studies after leaving the university to enlist during World War I.

Related Topics:
DeHavilland - DH-4 - Pablo Beach, Florida - San Diego, California - Distinguished Flying Cross

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In July 1923, after serving as a test pilot and aeronautical engineer at McCook Field, Doolittle entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In March 1924, Doolittle conducted aircraft acceleration tests at McCook Field, which became the basis of his Master's thesis and led to his second Distinguished Flying Cross. He received his Master's Degree in June 1924. Since the Army had given him two years to get his degree, and he had done it in only one, he immediately started working on his Doctorate of Science in Aeronautics, which he received in June 1925.

Related Topics:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Doctorate of Science in Aeronautics

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following graduation, Doolittle attended special training in flying high-speed seaplanes at the Anacostia Naval Air Station in Washington, DC. During this period, he served with the Naval Test Board at Mitchell Field, NY, and was a familiar figure in air speed record attempts in the New York area. He won the Schneider Cup race in a Curtiss R3C in 1925, with an average speed of 232 MPH. Doolittle was awarded the Mackay Trophy in 1926 for this feat.

Related Topics:
Anacostia Naval Air Station - Washington, DC - Naval Test Board - Mitchell Field, NY - Schneider Cup - Curtiss

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In April 1926, Doolittle was given a leave of absence to go to South America to perform demonstration flights. In Chile, he broke both ankles, but put his Curtiss P-1 through stirring aerial maneuvers with his ankles in casts. He returned to the United States, and was confined to Walter Reed Army Hospital for his injuries until April 1927. Discharged from the hospital, Doolittle was assigned to McCook Field for experimental work, with Additional Duty as an Instructor Pilot to the 385th Bomb Squadron of the Air Corps Reserve. During this time he was the first to perform an outside loop.

Related Topics:
South America - Chile - Curtiss P-1 - Walter Reed Army Hospital - 1927 - Outside loop

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His most important contribution to aeronautical technology was the development of instrument flying. He was the first pilot to take-off, fly, and land an airplane using instruments alone, without a view outside the cockpit. Returning to Mitchell Field in September 1928, he assisted in the development of fog flying equipment. He helped develop the now almost universally used artificial horizon and directional gyroscope and made the first flight completely by instruments. He attracted wide newspaper attention with this feat of "blind" flying and later received the Harmon Trophy for conducting the experiments. These accomplishments through 1929 enabled practical all-weather airline operations. Doolittle helped influence Shell Oil to produce the first quantities of 100 octane aviation gasoline. High octane fuel was crucial to the high-performance planes that were developed in the late 1930s.

Related Topics:
Instrument flying - 1928 - Artificial horizon - Gyroscope - "blind" flying - Harmon Trophy - 1929 - Shell Oil - Octane

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In January 1930 he was adviser for the Army on the building of the Floyd Bennett Field in New York City. Doolittle resigned his regular commission Feb. 15, 1930 and was commissioned a major in the Specialist Reserve Corps a month later, being named manager of the Aviation Department of the Shell Oil Company, in which capacity he conducted numerous aviation tests. He also went on active duty with the Army frequently to conduct tests.

Related Topics:
1930 - Floyd Bennett Field - New York City - Specialist Reserve Corps

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1931, Doolittle won the Bendix Trophy Race from Burbank, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, in a Laird Super Stallion Biplane.

Related Topics:
Bendix Trophy Race - Burbank, California - Cleveland, Ohio - Biplane

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1932, Doolittle set the world's high speed record for land planes, and took the Thompson Trophy Race at Cleveland in the notorious Gee Bee R-1 racer with a speed averaging 252 miles per hour.

Related Topics:
Thompson Trophy Race - Gee Bee R-1

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In April 1934 Doolittle became a member of the Army Board to study Air Corps organization and a year later was transferred to the Air Corps Reserve. In 1940 he became president of the Institute of Aeronautical Science. He went back on active duty July 1, 1940 as a major and assistant district supervisor of the Central Air Corps Procurement District at Indianapolis, Indiana, and Detroit, Michigan, where he worked with large auto manufacturers on the conversion of their plants for production of planes. The following August he went to England as a member of a special mission and brought back information about other countries' air forces and military buildups.

Related Topics:
1934 - 1940 - Institute of Aeronautical Science - Indianapolis, Indiana - Detroit, Michigan - England

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~