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Tex Rankin Autograph on a 7.5x10" black and white photo of him holding his famous black cat. Rank...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:100.00 - 150.00 USD
Tex Rankin Autograph on a 7.5x10  black and white photo of him holding his famous black cat. Rank...
Tex Rankin Autograph on a 7.5x10" black and white photo of him holding his famous black cat. Rankin was one of America's greatest pilots of his time. "During a career which spanned from the end of WW I to the end of WW II, he inspired and trained untold thousands of our nation's aviators". Rankin wrote a series of booklets that covered all phases of flight. These booklets, knows as "The Rankin System of Flying Instruction, emphasized SAFETY above all else and were used by more than 60 flying schools nationwide. In 1927 he entered the National Air Derby from New York to Spokane, Wa. Defying superstition in his number "13" Waco biplane, he finished out of the money after engine problems. Displaying a talent for showmanship, Tex entered the 1928 Air Derby from New York to Los Angeles, again with a large "`3" on the side of his OX-5 Waco 10. But in this race, he carried a "jinxless" black cat as a passenger. He would send wires from his various stops commenting on how the flight was going and how the cat was enjoying the trip. One of the last says: "Someone stole my cat in Kansas City last night" (the cat was found later and shipped to Los Angeles, where it was reunited with Tex - and finished fifth". He entered the 1929 Air Derby from Portland to Cleveland without the cat, and finished second. Only 11 days before the 1929 race, Tex had flown nonstop, and without refueling, from Canada to Mexico, the first do so. The photo is notated on the reverse "Tex Rankin and the black cat which he carried as passenger in the National Air Race 1928". Scarce. Estimate: $ 100 - 150