Wings of Destiny Airplane Contest
Wings of Destiny Airplane Contest
(by Sharon Hoy)
Yes, this is a true story. The contest was sponsored by Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation, makers of Wing cigarettes. “Wings of Destiny” was a national radio program that debuted on October 11, 1940 and featured a courageous pilot by the name of Steve Benton. According to a Variety article, the show was “aimed at an air-minded generation, young enough to see only the excitement, but old enough to smoke.” Most contests gave away wings and badges but this contest gave away actual airplanes, the Piper Cub made by Piper Aviation. In order to win the plane, a contestant had to send in ten (10) Wing cigarette packs and write an essay.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked and the declaration of war was announced in December 1941, all airplane manufacturers, including the Piper plant, began producing aircraft only for the military. On December 26, 1941, Brown & Williamson issued a press release stating that the 63rd and last Piper cub would be given away that very day. The show ended February 6, 1942.
But that’s not the end of this story. There were other give-away Piper Cub contests as well! Piper Aircraft cooperated with General Mills and Paramount Pictures in contests for free airplanes. The Paramount contest was run in conjunction with the filming of two movies, Power Drive and I Wanted Wings. The film was about Army flight training at Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas. The winner of the essay contest titled “Why I Want to Learn to Fly” was Ralph Satterlee of Muncie, Indiana.
General Mills sponsored a Jack Armstrong Wheaties contest that was won by 15-year old Bill Heher from Franklin, PA. The name “Airotripper” won the contest for him as the best name for a Cub. He was presented with a J-3 Piper Tandem Trainer by William T Piper, Jr., E.T. Vance of General Mills and local dignitaries.
And what happened to Wings Cigarettes? They are currently owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco. The cigarettes were a product of the Great Depression. While regular cigarettes cost 25 cents for two packs, Wings packs sold for 20 cents each.
Ed Watson, Manager of the Piper Air Museum, is presently working on a Wings Piper Cub Cigarette Display which will be available for viewing this Spring. In the 1940’s, Brown & Williamson issued a series of trading cards “Modern American Airplanes,” which were inserted in the packs of their cigarettes as a premium There were four series of 50 subjects each. The back of each card contained descriptive text of each aircraft featured. Some of these cards will be on display at the Piper Museum.
Credit is given for some excerpts in this article to Lisa Wheeler and elkbugles.com.
Did you ever enter the J-3 Piper Giveaway contest or do you know someone who did? If so, please email the contact information to sharhoy1@comcast.net.
