Indianapolis Motor Speedway Aviation Show - June 1910

One of the most unique chapters of Indianapolis Motor Speedway history was the June 1910 aviation show. Speedway President Carl Fisher loved leading edge technology, and he was almost as fascinated with aviation as race cars. This folder is packed with articles about that six day event which featured appearances by the Wright brothers and their star pilot, 21 year old Walter Brookins, who set a world altitude record at the meet. Carl Fisher got into the act, riding with Orville Wright in one of his pipe and stretched silk biplanes at dusk on one of the evenings. Fisher and Wright, fully exposed to the elements, laid on their stomachs, the Speedway president white-knuckling the metal pipe structure.

Brookins Amazes with Stunts

This package from June 15, 1910 provides a nice summary of the third day of the meet where Wright Brothers aviator Walter Brookins continued to astonish specators and birdmen alike. Brookins performed a series of daring arial stunts that thrilled the gathering. There is also a poor quality image of an official laying on the ground with an instrument that is reminiscent of a telescope which he was using to assess altitude for competitors.
Preparations for the Air Show

This is a nice article published June 11, 1910, just two days prior to the start of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's air show. It reviews preparations for the event and explains the card of 35 events.
Walter Brookins Background

This is a nice piece that provides background to Walter Brookins, the 21-year-old sensation that became the star of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's June 1910 aviation show.
Brookins Awes Wright Brothers

This may be the best single article covering the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's June 1910 airshow. Published in the Indianapolis Star July 17, 1910, it offers colorful accounts such as the star pilot of the Wright Brothers team, Walter Brookins, donning a green sweater to stave off the cold of winds a mile high in the sky. The Wrights confessed they were astounded at the skill of their 21-year-old pilot, who had only learned to fly weeks earlier.
Images from Last Day of 1910 Air Show

This is just a one page PDF with three poor quality images of the aviation show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June 1910. This material was published Sunday, June 19, 1910 in the Indianapolis Star. The best image is the most significant one.

Fashion for Women Aviators

This article is a departure from the norm at First Super Speedway. Published on December 17, 1909 in the Indianapolis Star the article discusses the introduction a line of women's "aerial attire" by Mrs. Joseph Curzon whose husband stored his Henri Farman-designed airplane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
The Battle For An Air Show

The attached articles concern the concerted effort by Indianapolis Motor Speedway executive management and the city of Indianapolis to bring the 1910 international air show to the track.
Coey & Bumbaugh's Airplane

This article originally appeared in the January 30, 1910 Indianapolis Star. The article is a small item but more evidence of the level of interest in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a viable aviation center in the early days of aeronautics.
Moross Closes Wright Bros. Deal (1910)

This article was originally published in the March 23, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
"Airship" Entries at IMS Air Show

This article first appeared in the March 29, 1910 Indianapolis Star. The subject is the growing entry list for the then-upcoming June 1910 aviation show at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.