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This 1909 Gordon Bennett plaque was presented to Glenn Curtiss for winning the first international air race held on the Betheny plain in Reims, France. Curtiss completed the 20 kilometer circuit 15 minutes, 50 3/5 seconds at an average speed of 47.65 mph (73.6k/h) in a 50hp Curtiss bi-plane.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Early Flight at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Early Flight
Object Details
Date 1909 Country of Origin United States of America Type AWARDS-Trophies Physical Description On the James Gordon Bennett silver plaque is a relief depicting Icarus standing on top of a rock formation with a Wright Model A flying overhead. The text on the plaque consists of relief text reading "Coupe Internationale D'Aviation, James Gordon Bennett" and engraved text on the base reading "Betheny 28 Aoul 1909, Glenn H. Curtiss, 20 kils. 15 m. 50 3/5 des". Dimensions 3-D: 22 × 1 × 39cm (8 11/16 × 3/8 × 15 3/8 in.)
 Materials Overall: Silver
 Inventory Number A19640679000 Credit Line Donated by the National Aeronautic Association Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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