Soon after the '31 Nationals, Wedell began rebuilding the 44 and the We-Winc as well as taking a contract to build a Model 44 for the famous aviator Roscoe Turner. On the second test flight of Turner's Model 44, the left wing experienced a structural failure and was destroyed in the ensuing crash. Piloting the aircraft himself, Wedell parachuted to safety. After this incident, the assistance of Howard Barlow, an aeronautical engineer, was obtained in the redesign of the wings. The second Turner racer was built with the new wing design and proved to be an exceptional performer. The other two Model 44s were rebuilt according to the new wing specification as test pilots had noted wing vibrations in both aircraft previously. These three aircraft went on to dominate air racing for the next several years. Model 44s were raced in 1932, 1933 and 1934 Bendix Trophy races, as well as the 1934 Thompson and Shell Trophy. In September 1933 at the International Air Race in Chicago, the 44 piloted by Wedell set the new world speed record for landplanes at 305.33 miles per hour. Flying a 44, Doug Davis won the 1934 Bendix Trophy, but crashed and was killed while leading the Thompson Trophy Race on September 3, 1934. Roscoe Turner won the Thompson Trophy in a 44 with a different engine, while J. A. Worthen placed third, also in a 44. Survivors and replicas Roscoe Turner's Model 44, NR61Y, is on display at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Replicas of all three Model 44s are now displayed at the Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum - Patterson, a branch of the Louisiana State Museum. Specifications (Model 44) Media appearances Tail Spin, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 1939 See also References Notes Bibliography Foxworth, Thomas G. The Speed Seekers. New York: Doubleday, 1976. . Hirsch, Robert S. and Barbara H. Schultz. Wedell-Williams Air Service. Lancaster, California: Little Buttes Publishing, 2001. . Matthews, Birch. Race With the Wind: How Air Racing Advanced Aviation. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2001. . Schmid, Sylvester H. and Truman C. Weaver. The Golden Age of Air Racing: 1927-1933. Oshkosh, Wisconsin: EAA Aviation Foundation, 1983. . External links Photos of the Model 44 at the Louisiana State Museum 1930s United States sport aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1930 Model 44