One of the most enduring of the early speedsters, the Howard ‘Pete’ raced continually from 1930 to 1935. Following heavy modifications, the DGA-3 (‘Damn Good Airplane-3’) also competed in some postwar races. The first of Benny Howard’s line of fast, but safe, racing aircraft (namely, the ‘Pete’, the ‘Ike’, the ‘Mike’, and ‘Mr. Mulligan’), the ‘Pete’ was notable because it continued to be flown, regularly, from its racing days to the present. Designed with the intention of having the smallest frontal area possible, the single-place airplane was so small it had to be piloted with thin-soled shoes or no shoes at all! None of the original Howard racing airplanes was ever involved in a fatal accident! An amazing record, compared to the other air racers against which they competed throughout the 1930’s.
