Cyrus K. Bettis
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Cyrus K. Bettis (January 2, 1893 – September 1, 1926) was an American army aviator
who won several races and set the then airspeed record for a closed-circuit race in 1925. He died after he crashed his aircraft less than a year later.
to John C. Bettis and Mattie McCrory. His grandfather was an Irish immigrant. He was brought up on a farm, and after high school he worked for a telephone company. He joined the army in 1918. He was the winner of the 1924 Mitchell Trophy Race and the 1925 Mackay Trophy
. He was also a winner of the Pulitzer Trophy in October 1925, flying a Curtiss R3C
-1 racer. In winning the trophy, he set a new airspeed record of 248.99 mph for a closed-circuit race. The record was broken shortly after by Lt. Jimmy Doolittle
.
On August 23, 1926, he was leading a formation of three army planes leaving the Sesquicentennial Exposition
in Philadelphia heading toward Selfridge Field
in Michigan when in heavy fog he hit a tree and crashed on Jacks Mountain
near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
. He was seriously injured, including two broken legs, and after waiting in vain for rescue he crawled two-and-a-half miles to a road where he was found by highway workers. He was admitted to Bellefonte Hospital and then airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington where he was expected to recover, but he died on September 1, 1926 of spinal meningitis.
in Pittsburgh was named in his honor. When Westinghouse
bought the site in the 1948 and closed the airfield, they named their Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
after him.
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
who won several races and set the then airspeed record for a closed-circuit race in 1925. He died after he crashed his aircraft less than a year later.
Biography
Bettis was born on January 2, 1893 in Carsonville, MichiganCarsonville, Michigan
Carsonville is a village in Sanilac County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 502. The village is situated at on the boundary between Bridgehampton Township and Washington Township, with about half the village in each.The village began with a store...
to John C. Bettis and Mattie McCrory. His grandfather was an Irish immigrant. He was brought up on a farm, and after high school he worked for a telephone company. He joined the army in 1918. He was the winner of the 1924 Mitchell Trophy Race and the 1925 Mackay Trophy
MacKay trophy
The Mackay Trophy was established on 27 January 1911 by Clarence Hungerford Mackay, who was then head of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company and the Commercial Cable Company. Originally, aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year or the War Department could award the...
. He was also a winner of the Pulitzer Trophy in October 1925, flying a Curtiss R3C
Curtiss R3C
-External links:* * in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum-Sources:*Angelucci, Enzo. World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London:Willow Books, 1984. ISBN 0-00-218148-7....
-1 racer. In winning the trophy, he set a new airspeed record of 248.99 mph for a closed-circuit race. The record was broken shortly after by Lt. Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
.
On August 23, 1926, he was leading a formation of three army planes leaving the Sesquicentennial Exposition
Sesquicentennial Exposition
The Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition of 1926 was a world's fair hosted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the 50th anniversary of the 1876 Centennial Exposition-History:The honor of hosting...
in Philadelphia heading toward Selfridge Field
Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
in Michigan when in heavy fog he hit a tree and crashed on Jacks Mountain
Jacks Mountain
Jacks Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in central Pennsylvania, United States, trending southeast of the Stone Mountain ridge and Jacks Mountain Anticline. The ridge line separates Kishacoquillas Valley from the Ferguson and Dry Valleys...
near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He was seriously injured, including two broken legs, and after waiting in vain for rescue he crawled two-and-a-half miles to a road where he was found by highway workers. He was admitted to Bellefonte Hospital and then airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington where he was expected to recover, but he died on September 1, 1926 of spinal meningitis.
Legacy
Bettis FieldBettis Field
Bettis Field was an airstrip in southeastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1924 that was named for U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant Cyrus Bettis following his fatal accident on Jack's Mountain near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania in 1926.-History:...
in Pittsburgh was named in his honor. When Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
bought the site in the 1948 and closed the airfield, they named their Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory is a U.S. Government-owned, contractor-operated research and development facility located in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. It solely focuses on the design and development of nuclear power for the U.S. Navy....
after him.
External link
- Bettis at CorbisCorbisCorbis Corporation is an American company, based in Seattle, Washington, that licenses the rights to photographs, footage and other visual media...
- Bettis video at Critical Past