Bon MacDougall

Ronald "Bon" Griffith MacDougall (or McDougall,[1] August 4, 1901 in Winnipeg – December 11, 1970 in Riverside, California) was an American-based Canadian racing car driver and a founding member of the 13 Black Cats aerial stunt group, established in 1924.

13 Black Cats, circa 1925. MacDougall is standing in the back row, second from left.

Biography

One day in Los Angeles, an airshow was scheduled at the Burdette Airport and School of Aviation. When the performers did not show up, MacDougall, a part-owner of the airport, persuaded Spider Matlock and Ken Nichols, two friends who had come to watch the show, to help him. According to Nichols, after five minutes of instruction, the pair performed as wing walkers, with MacDougall flying the airplane.[2] The burgeoning field of aviation reached Hollywood, and stunt pilots were needed. In 1924, MacDougall, Nichols and Matlock formed a group called the Black Cats, later renamed the 13 Black Cats, to perform aerial stunts for movies.[3][4] Each of the Black Cats was supposed to have a name that was 13 letters long, which is how MacDougall acquired the nickname "Bon". The group lasted five years, but eventually succumbed to increased safety regulations and cut-rate competition.

MacDougall competed in the 1926 Indianapolis 500 driving a Miller car. He completed 19 laps before retiring due to a water leak after 19 laps. MacDougall won $512 in that race.

According to the Internet Pinball Database, he designed five pinball games for the Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company of Chicago and Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1934 and 1935. He received several patents for pinball game features during this period.

He became a US citizen in 1940.

Indy 500 results

See also

References
  1. Bon McDougall Official Indy 500 Career Stats Archived February 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Robinson, Nancy (April 8, 1995). "Aerial daredevils soar on silver screens". Abilene Reporter-News – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. Onskt, David H. "Hollywood Stunt Pilots". Centennial of Flight Commission.
  4. Kelly, Shawna (2008). Aviators in Early Hollywood. Arcadia Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 9780738559025.


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