The Howard DGA-4 a.k.a. Mike, and DGA-5 a.k.a. Ike and "Miss Chevrolet" was the next in a series of racers from

Ben Howard Benjamin John Howard (born 24 April 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and composer. His self-released debut EP ''Games in the Dark'' (2008) was followed by two more EPs, '' These Waters'' (2009) and '' Old Pine'' (2010). Signed t ...

. He built two examples, "Mike" and "Ike", each with a different

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

design.

Design and development

In 1932 work started on a larger follow-on racer to Howard's "Pete" racer. Both aircraft were built to ATC design requirements for ATC racing that never came about. The DGA-4 was a low-wing, wire braced

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

. Ventilation came from 30 holes drilled into the windscreen.

Operational history

*1932

National Air Races The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...

- "Ike" flown by Howard finished with two firsts and one second-place finish. Pilot Bill Ong flew "Mike" to one second, one fourth and two fifth-place finishes. *1932 Thompson Trophy race - Bill Ong placed seventh in "Ike". *1932 Women's Free for all - Gladys O'Donnell piloted "Ike". *1933 American Air Races - Pilot Harold Neumann flew "Ike" with the

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

wheels converted back to a single wheel configuration. Howard placed third in one event, then went on to fly the Folkerts SK-1 for the remainder of the races. *1933

- Pilot Roy Minor won four firsts, two seconds, two thirds and one fourth place in "Mike". *1933

John H. Livingston John H. Livingston (1897–1974) was an American aviator and air race pilot of the 1920s and 1930s. He placed first in 80 national air races. Life John Livingston was born in 1897 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. His first profession was as an auto ...

crashed his

Cessna CR-3 The Cessna CR-3 was a follow on racing aircraft to the Cessna CR-2 that raced in the 1932 National Air Races. Development The CR-3 was ordered by air racer Johnny Livingston in response to the performance he saw when competing against the Cess ...

, and flew "Mike" around the country as part of the

Curtiss Candy Company The Curtiss Candy Company was founded in 1916 by Otto Schnering near Chicago, Illinois. Wanting a more "American-sounding" name (due to anti-German sentiment during World War I), Schnering named his company using his mother's maiden name. Their ...

"Baby Ruth" airshow team. *1933 International Air Races - Roy Minor won four firsts and one third place at 199.87 mph, racing against

Gordon Israel Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, "Mike's" own designer. *1934 National Air Races - Pilot Roy Hunt won two fifth places in "Mike". Harold Neumann won two fourths in "Ike". *1935 National Air Races - Nicknamed the "Benny Howard National Air Races" due to the number of victories. Harold Neumann finished with three firsts in "Mike". "Ike" was sponsored by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

and was renamed "Miss Chevrolet". "Ike"s fuel system was modified to win the World's fastest inverted speed record. Pilot Neumann missed the race, after the gear collapsed on "Ike", but won the Thompson Trophy in Howard's DGA-6, "Mr. Mulligan. *1936 National Air Races - Harold Neumann flew "Mike" to on a speed dash. Pilot Jacobsen flew "Mike" in the Greve race, nosing over on landing. *1937 National Air Races - Both "Mike" and "Ike" could not fly due to engine trouble. "Ike" continued to fly as part of Fordon-Brown Air Shows. *1939 National Air Races - "Mike" and "Ike" were sold and repainted yellow, but not raced again. "Ike" and "Mike" are currently undergoing restoration in Hinckley, Ohio by P & K Airmotive, INC> .

Variants

* Howard DGA-4 "Mike" - Mike and Ike were virtually identical, except that Mike had a super charged Menasco B-6S and a slightly different landing gear structure. Mike featured more cooling louvers and a cowling designed for a spinner. In 1933, many of the louvers were closed in, and smaller wheels were used. * Howard DGA-5 "Ike" - Ike featured a unique landing gear with two small wheels spaced one behind the other, with a wheel pant covering both. This landing gear was replaced with a single wheel configuration in 1933. Ike also used a higher octane fuel in races and had a Menasco B-6 (S/N 6008) rated at 160 HP at 1975 RPM.

Aircraft on display

The

Port Townsend Aero Museum Port Townsend Aero Museum is an aviation museum located at Jefferson County International Airport in Port Townsend, Washington. History The museum was founded in 2001 by Jerry and Peggy Thoutte with six flyable aircraft. The museum was initially ...

Port Townsend, Washington Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...

has a replica of "Mike" on display

Kermit Weeks Kermit Weeks (born July 14, 1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft collector. He has competed in aerobatics, designed aircraft, and promoted aviation and vintage aircraft restoration. Oil and ...

Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florida ...

museum has a replica of "Ike" on display

Specifications (Howard DGA-4)

References

External links

The Port Townsend Aero Museum replica
{{Howard aircraft Racing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 1930s United States civil aircraft DGA-04 Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1932