John Gilbert "Tex" Rankin (January 20, 1894 – February 23, 1947) was an
aerobatic
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...
pilot,
barnstormer,
air racer
Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a prev ...
, and
flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...
from the 1920s to the 1940s. He created the Rankin Flying Service which trained thousands of pilots at
Rankin Field for the
US Army Air Force
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
He was the 1935 US Aerobatic champion and 1938 World Aerobatic champion.
Early life
Rankin left home at the age of 16 and joined the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
.
[ He served in the ]Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, Appendix 2 (1907–1914) was the first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in history and the progenitor of the United States Air Force. A component of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Aeronaut ...
which gave him an interest in aviation. After being discharged
Discharge may refer to
Expel or let go
* Discharge, the act of firing a gun
* Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer
* Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...
in 1919, he moved to the State of Washington
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
to learn to fly.[
]
Aerobatics and flight instructor career
In 1920, Rankin opened his first flying school
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
in Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...
. Rankin moved his flight school to Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
in 1922, where he established the Rankin Flying Service.[ By 1928, Rankin's flying school was listed as the largest civilian flying school in the world. Throughout the late 1920s, Rankin went on tour with the Rankin Air Circus, performing ]barnstorming
Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...
stunts throughout the west. In August 1929 Rankin flew his historic "Three Flags" flight, being the first flyer to make a flight without stopping or refueling from Canada to Mexico. On January 10, 1930, Rankin established a National Aeronautic Association
The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...
flying record, for executing and completing 19 consecutive aerial outside loops. In February 1931, he established a new world record for outside loops, completing 78 consecutive loops in 88 minutes. Later that same year, Rankin would set the world record a third time, with a total of 131 loops. Rankin's record stands to this day. Rankin became the U.S. Aerobatic Champion in 1935, at the 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 ...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. In 1938—by then already well known as a stunt pilot Stunt flying refers to any stunts performed in an aircraft. It encompasses aerobatics, wing walking, and transferring from one airplane to another or to a moving vehicle on the ground, such as an automobile or train, and vice versa.
History From th ...
and technical director in Hollywood—Rankin won the International Aerobatic Trophy at the International Aerobatic Competition in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. At the age of 48, Rankin was the oldest entrant in the competition. Rankin's own "Rankin System of Flying Instruction" student instructional books were well known standard reading texts for flying school students throughout the world. Rankin performed daily aerobatic flights to the delight of the crowds at the San Francisco World's Fair. While living in Hollywood, Tex became a member of the Hollywood Motion Pictures Pilot Association and the Screen Actors Guild. Among the celebrities taught to fly by Rankin himself were James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
, Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
, and Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen (born Edgar John Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, actor, comedian, vaudevillian and radio performer, best known for his proficiency in ventriloquism and his characters Ch ...
.
Rankin Field, World War II
After establishing the Rankin School of Flying in Van Nuys, CA in 1939, a year later, Rankin was awarded a Department of Defense contract with the Army Air Corps to operate a civilian primary flying school for soon-to-be cadets. Now with the certification and contracts for his school, Rankin set about finding the school's ideal location. After extensive examination of weather chart conditions, among other factors, Rankin found that the small agricultural town of Tulare, located in the heart of California's San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
was the perfect spot for his flying school. Years worth of weather condition statistics, reflected that the San Joaquin Valley had the best flying conditions weather-wise in the U.S. Tulare's site itself also proved ideal as it was located 12 miles east of general use airways and 6 miles from the heart of town, and initially was a large tract of farm land, which held no undesirable obstructions on it. The school was located 8 miles southeast of Tulare, California
Tulare ( ) is a city in Tulare County, California. The population was 68,875 at the 2020 census. It is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, eight miles south of Visalia and sixty miles north of Bakersfield. The city is named for th ...
. At the beginning of the new year in 1941, Rankin flew throughout the U.S., recruiting and hiring flight instructors. With his team assembled, the Rankin Aeronautical Academy received their first civilian cadets began training in March 1941. The academy trained over 10,450 cadets throughout its operation. Rankin graduates included twelve World War II aces, the United States all-time leading ace and Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient Richard Bong
Richard "Dick" Ira Bong (September 24, 1920 – August 6, 1945) was a United States Army Air Forces major and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country's top flying ace ...
, and Jeppeson navigation charts founder Elrey Jeppeson.[ A portion of Rankin Field is still in operation, since 1996 it has been used as a firing range for the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff's Association.][
]
Death and honors
After the war, Rankin remained in Tulare as President of Rankin Aviation Industries, where his company provided the sale and service of private planes, as well as crop dusting
Aerial application, or what is informally referred to as crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific sp ...
services. Rankin Aviation Industries also became the west coast distributor of the experimental amphibious plane, the Republic Aviation Seabee, of which Rankin himself became the first customer. Tex Rankin was killed in an aviation accident
An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...
on February 23, 1947, in Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...
, when the Seabee he was piloting suffered a power failure upon takeoff and struck a 70-foot-high tension line which overturned the airplane. Two of Rankin's passengers on the business flight were killed and one was injured. He is buried in Tulare, California.
Rankin's Great Lakes Rankin Special Biplane, in which he set his world records, is on display at the Oregon Aviation Museum. Rankin has been selected into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame and the International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame.
References
External links
Republic Seabee Stories - "Tex" Rankin
International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame - J.G. "Tex" Rankin
Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame - John G. "Tex Rankin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Tex
1894 births
1947 deaths
Aerobatic pilots
United States Army personnel of World War I
American aviation record holders
Aerobatic record holders
American flight instructors