By Bartee Halie

After spending a week trying to convince the sponsor and contestants to call off a perilous California-to-Hawaii air race, federal aviation officials threw up their hands on Aug. 21, 1927 and reluctantly gave permission for the daredevils to take off.

On the heels of Charles Lindbergh’s sensational New York-to-Paris solo in May 1927, the whole world went crazy over flying.  Air races became the hottest spectator sport as the super-rich offered fabulous pots to barnstormers, ...