R H Aurebach built the Aurebach Wasp Special in 1927.

The 1927 single-place “18-foot Wasp” (as described) has a provocative, albeit grim, story in a found newspaper clipping. Student pilot Henry Axton died in the crash after its wing collapsed while landing at Alameda airport. Before the coroner could investigate the accident, builder Aurebach set fire to the ship’s remains “in order to clear the field of the wreckage, because it was harmful to his business, to aviation, and to the airport.” He denied doing it to destroy any evidence of criminal negligence. We have no follow-up on this story; however … an old knot on our pages unravels right here.

‘A small ship resembling this brief description, built in nearby Oakland in 1927, that also suffered a crash before its entry in the Dole Race. That was enough to goad us to search Les Forden’s The Glory Gamblers, where on page 56 is: “On Aug 5th, spectators watched in horror as the little plane spun in and crashed, killing Henry Axton. Alameda County DA Earl Warren [later CA governor] warned the aviation community to expect legal action regarding unlicensed [the Wasp was X-licensed] and unsafe airplanes. The resulting publicity became part of the furor that followed when so many of the press, and the public, insisted the Dole flyers were irresponsible adventurers who flew home-made crates.”