Strip flyover planned for Saturday

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Friday, May 6, 2005 | 11:14 a.m.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Las Vegas and the 85th anniversary of the first flight to the city, there will be a flyover of rare vintage aircraft and World War II warbirds above the Las Vegas Strip at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The event, sponsored by Boyd Gaming Corporation, will feature more than 20 aircraft.

The flyover will in part honor Randall Henderson, a World War I pilot and barnstormer, who became the first person to fly into Las Vegas. He made the historic flight from Blythe, Calif., on May 7, 1920.

Henderson landed his two-seat, World War I surplus Curtiss Jenny JN-4H at a desert roadhouse near the Los Angeles Highway, which later became the Las Vegas Strip.

Henderson set up a barnstorming sideshow in a nearby field, offering rides for paying customers. His first passenger was clothing store owner Jake Beckley, who dropped a doll from the plane to his niece.

The doll's dress is on display today at the Clark County Museum.