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In 1926, GLADYS INGLE - the only female member of Hollywood’s 13 Black Cats aerial daredevil stunt troop - was filmed changing planes in mid-air to replace a lost wheel! (Jan 1926) NOTE: I've upscaled and colorized this amazing clip from the original British Pathe footage. The original clip lacked audio so I've added sound effects. The 13 BLACK CATS flew “Jennys” – Curtiss JN-4 biplanes with an abundance of struts and wires to grip, making it ideal for stunt-riders and wing-walkers. Gladys earned her fearless reputation by changing planes in mid-air without a parachute or safety gear. Legend has it she performed her wing-walking stunts hundreds of times. In the video, she’s a young and spry woman of 25 or 26 years old transferring from Bon McDougall’s airplane to Art Goebel’s airplane with no parachute or safety gear. In 1927, after several aerial stunt and wing-walking deaths, parachutes were finally required by law. Gladys went on to live a long and healthy life, passing away in 1981, at 82 years of age. The 13 Black Cats were founded in 1924 and performed together for 5 years. The official member list is: Ronald “Bon” MacDougall, Ken “Fronty” Nichols, William “Spider” Matlock, Jerry Tabnac, Heard “Herd” McClellan, Paul Richter Jr, Lieut. Jack Frye, Al Johnson, Ivan “Bugs” Unger, Sanford “Sam” Greenwald, Colonel Art Goebel, William “Bill” Stapp, Gladys Ingle. Casualties were commonplace in this dangerous field, where your life was literally on the line with each death-defying performance, and the history books are fuzzing on if any official or unofficial members of the 13 Black Cats ever died performing. The group was first organized in 1924 with 13 members, headed by Bon MacDougall. Their home base was the Burdett Airport located at Western Avenue and 102nd Street, now the site of a huge department store complex. Their uniform was a black sweater with the cat and number 13 patch on the front, and their names on the back. Originally the group was made up of pilots, motion-picture stuntmen and automobile racers who wanted to “corner the market” on all movie stunt work that involved airplanes, automobiles, and motorcycles. They advertised that they defied all superstition and the odds, and their services were also available for air shows or meets and any other audience that would pay their fee. Except for trains, they would supply the equipment needed and their fleet consisted of war-surplus Curtiss “Jennies” and “Cannucks”. Until 1927, when it became a law, they used no parachutes. Supposedly each member’s name would add up to a total of 13 letters; if it didn’t he was given a nickname that would (no explanation was given for Richter and Goebel not meeting this requirement). At one time actor-aviator Reginald Denny was a member of the group, and one account says that Jack Frye, later president of TWA, did some work for them. These were the years of barnstorming, which most of the pilots did between jobs with the studios, trying to make a living or at least pay for their gas and oil. 1924 is the year that Jack Frye learned to fly, became an instructor and used his “fortune” to become a partner with Burdett Fuller (1/2 interest in a “Jenny”). One of Frye’s first students was Paul Richter who had left the family ranch in Colorado to learn to fly. Once in the air, and much to the amazement of the fledgling pilot, Bon climbed out of the cockpit and spent his time “wing walking” from tip to tip. After a safe landing, Paul was offered a job and membership in the 13 Black Cats. In February 1926, Frye, Richter, and hamilton were among the founders of the Aero Corporation of California and the following year, they formed Standard Airlines. Another of their students with the same seniority was Lee Flanagin. In October of 1926 the 13 Black Cats made the headlines in the LA press when they performed one of their daring acts before the horrified eyes of 79,000 spectators. This was during the half-time of the USC-Stanford football game held at the coliseum. The plan was: with MacDougall the pilot of the “Jenny” and “Fronty” Nichols perched atop the left (upper) wing and “Spider” Matlock atop the right wing they would swoop right over the stadium and “buzz” the playing field. Unfortunately, just as they approached the stadium, the radiator broke and spewed the scalding water over the windshield and goggles of MacDougall. He rised his fist, the signal of distress, and the two wing-walkers were making a hasty retreat to the cockpit just as they fly over the crowd with the stricken plane and made an emergency landing on a vacant lot several blocks away. In early 1929 the 13 Black Cats disbanded – there was too much competition. The price for a simple parachute jump had come down from $80 to a mere $10 by some free-lance daredevils who were willing to risk their lives for a fast buck. #daredevil #gladysingle #blackcats #airstunt #JN-4
