Fantastic Flyer #529: Roscoe Turner Papers

Published September 23, 2025 at 2:43 PM MDT

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Roscoe Turner and the aircraft with which he won two Thompson Trophies. Box 64, Roscoe Turner papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Roscoe Turner and the Thompson Trophy. Box 116, Roscoe Turner papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Cover of the publicity magazine for the Sky Blazers radio show. Box 144, Roscoe Turner papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Roscoe Turner speaking at the dedication of the Roscoe Turner Airfield, located in Corinth Mississippi, 1961. Box 115, Roscoe Turner papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Roscoe Turner came from humble beginnings in a log cabin in Mississippi. He went on to become a celebrated pilot, even earning a spot on the cover of Time magazine. Turner served in World War I, where his first experience in the air was in a military balloon.

During the 1920s, he was a barnstorming pilot and owner of the Roscoe Turner Flying Circus. With his carefully waxed mustache and snappy aviator’s uniform, Turner was a master of showmanship and swagger. The Flying Circus’ daring exploits included wing walking, spins, and rolls. Later, Turner took up air racing and won the Thompson Trophy for air speed three times.

The longest distance air race Turner competed in was from London to Melbourne, Australia in 1934. The flight took nearly 93 hours.

Turner’s outsized personality and Sky Blazers radio show helped to publicize and romanticize aviation during the 1930s.

See the Roscoe Turner papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.