Aircraft
DeLay tirelessly promoted aviation, while pushing the limits in the entertainment industry, especially through innovative performances. He implemented the first lighted airport in the United States on DeLay Airfield. He also initiated the first aerial police in the nation in Venice, Los Angeles. DeLay was inspired to this action after a marine rescue attempt was thwarted. He proposed that his aerial forces, equipped with flotation devices, be ready for rescue at a moments notice. This force was approved through the Board of Directors of the Venice Chamber of Commerce. When DeLay took charge of Ince Airfield (Venice Airfield) he was on a mission so that “the passenger service will be advanced to a degree of perfection and safety never before attained.”
DeLay was a constant aviation promoter through staging exhibitions (including barnstorming) and through performing aviation firsts for the movies. Some of his airshow expertise included the nose dive, ghost dive, Immelmann turn, barrel rolls, tail spins, multiple loop-the-loops, mock battles, racing, and flying fireworks. DeLay pioneered several aviation firsts for the motion pictures. (details in the next section)
During his ten years of flying experience, DeLay conducted aerial rides with politicians, actors, and unusual personalities, such as opera diva (Luisa Tetrazzini) and a princess (Tsianina). He threw out the game opener baseball from his plane to DeLay Field as he flew over. The semi-pro baseball team he named for Venice, was called the Highflyers. He dropped event tickets, flew city engineers to produce aerial maps of Venice, and showered other promotional or ceremonial objects for events, such as masses of flowers over the ocean as tributes to war heroes. DeLay and several of his planes were also in movie aviator Ormer Locklear’s aerial funeral procession. In a promotion of Venice as a leading entertainment destination, DeLay flew a night loop-the-loop “fire ride” with fireworks on the back of his plane, while 20 navy destroyer ships flashed their search lights upon the horizon for his performance. DeLay was driven to advance aviation with continuous feats, such as proving that loop-the-loops could be performed at night.
The current developed site of DeLay Airfield is bordered by Venice Blvd., Abbot Kinney Blvd. and Washington Way: GOOGLE Satellite Map of DeLay Airfield site.
Read more about this topic: B. H. DeLay