George Stainforth
Toronto Daily Star, September 28 1931
George Stainforth (1899-1942) was a British pilot who had briefly held the world speed record in September 1929. His first attempt to break the record in mid-September 1931 resulted in his sinking his plane due to what Wikipedia referred to as a "minor taxiing accident", shown here. The day after this photo appeared in the paper, Stainforth tried again in another copy of the plane, becoming the first pilot ever to reach 400 mph. On a different flight, he also set a record by flying upside down for 12 minutes.
After setting his records, Stainforth became a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force. He was killed in action near the Gulf of Suez in 1942 and was buried with full military honours in Egypt.
Created September 26, 2025.