This piece originally ran in the July 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
Do you still have a memento from your first flight? A logbook entry, pilot wings, or a ticket? Barnstormer, transport pilot, and air racer Harvey Hughes had these cards printed as a memento for his passengers in the 1930s. This particular souvenir is from an unidentified passenger’s “first and last” airplane ride on Sept. 20, 1935. Hughes was based in Lansing, Michigan, but flew all over the United States performing in air shows, as well as working in aerial mapping. According to newspapers of the time, Hughes thrilled audiences with “dead-stick loops and landings; 2000 foot spins; pony express racing; and other stunts.” Hughes would even throw dummies out of the airplane in the middle of his routine to terrify audiences. He retired from the air show circuit in 1936 and settled in Lansing where he started a flying school, offering $50 solo lessons.