[26] The draw for starting position in the Dole race was held on 8 August in the office of C. W. Saunders, California director of the National Aeronautics Association, at the Matson Building in San Francisco.

[30] (Tremaine Humming Bird) Contestants were to present the aircraft and pilots by Monday, August 8 in San Francisco, so the Bay Area chapter of the National Aeronautic Association could check their certificates and licenses as a final qualification.

[38] Meanwhile, Mildred Doran, Auggy Pedlar, and navigator Manley Lawing were flying into Oakland on August 6 when their aircraft developed engine trouble due to fouled spark plugs.

James L. Giffin announced he needed US$15,000 to complete a giant triplane under construction in July 1927; at the time, he was planning to fly it from Los Angeles to Tokyo via Hawaii.

[33] After a short test flight on August 10, Giffin confidently predicted they would rest upon arrival in Honolulu, then continue to Australia nonstop, a distance of 4,100 miles (6,600 km).

[42] Frank Clarke's biplane Miss Hollydale completed a roundtrip test flight from Los Angeles to San Diego without incident on August 4.

[46]: 83 Then, on 11 August, as J. L. Giffin and Theodore S. Lundgren approached Oakland, their aircraft, a converted Catron & Fisk CF-10 triplane airline named the Pride of Los Angeles sponsored by the film actor Hoot Gibson and five businessmen, crashed into San Francisco Bay, but the two men and their passenger, Laurence Willes, were able to escape and swim to shore.

[49][50] The next day, British ace Arthur V. Rogers took off for a test flight on August 12 in the twin-engine Angel of Los Angeles at Western Air Express Field at Montebello, California, the aircraft reached an altitude of 200 feet (61 m) and began acting "queer";[51] Rogers jumped out of the plane as it suddenly dived towards the ground, but died as either his foot or parachute snagged on the aircraft as it crashed.

[16]: 184  The Aeronautics Division of the Commerce Department (the forerunner to today's Federal Aviation Administration) felt the planned race was unsafe and supported a two-week delay; other changes urged by the Aeronautics Division included switching the route to fly an equivalent distance over land (for instance, a nonstop flight across the continental United States) or changing the direction to fly from Hawaii to California, as the consequences of a navigation error would be less dire.

[65] On August 10, Hollywood pilot and actor Frank Clarke either withdrew or was disqualified from participating in the race with his navigator, Jeff Warren, in Miss Hollydale, an International F-17 biplane.

[73] Aircraft then began to return: Miss Doran circled back and landed approximately ten minutes after departing (12:43 PM),[80][81]: 252  its engine "sputtering like a Tin Lizzie.

A series of ships were strung out along the route from San Francisco to Honolulu to transmit radio signals (allowing radio-equipped airplanes to take bearings), mark distances, and provide emergency aid if needed.

[46]: 82  Jensen flew much of the way at a low altitude of 10 to 50 feet (3.0 to 15.2 m) above sea level, helping fuel economy but making it impossible to sight the stars for navigation.

[81]: 254  The odds of survival were grim; although each plane was required to carry fresh water, food, and a life raft, these were limited in quantity and durability as seaborne assistance had been anticipated to respond quickly.

[94] According to Wyatt, the radial engine of Miss Doran was misfiring on four of nine cylinders when it returned to Oakland; he believed the aircraft had gone down shortly after entering the fog bank just off the Golden Gate.

[81]: 252 Golden Eagle was last reported approximately halfway to Honolulu, at the southern edge of the course with Aloha at 2 AM PST on August 17 by SS City of Los Angeles, relaying messages from the Army Signal Corps.

[88] 42 Navy ships were involved in the search for the Golden Eagle and Miss Doran, joined by smaller vessels based in Hawaii; USS Langley and Aroostook departed from San Diego the night of August 17.

[100] Two boys said they had seen an aircraft run out of fuel and glide down just 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) off the north shore of Oahu on August 17 at 9 PM local time, with its engine glowing red.

[101] A report that Miss Doran had been found in Honolua Bay the night of August 18 proved to be false; a sampan with an identical red, white, and blue color scheme had been mistaken for the aircraft.

9:10 PM — SOS tail spin– After repairing Dallas Spirit, Erwin and Eichwaldt joined the search, leaving Oakland for Honolulu on August 19 at approximately 2:20 PM PST;[16]: 189–190  [79][102] the crew intended for Honolulu to be the next stop on their way to Hong Kong to win the Easterwood prize,[7] although Erwin stated they would refuel in Hawaii and fly back to Oakland if they did not spot the missing aircraft on the westbound trip.

[115] USS Hazelwood, which was approximately 100 miles (160 km) away and searching for the other two missing aircraft when Dallas Spirit went down, proceeded to the spot where the last transmission was made, arriving less than three hours later.

[129] Bright yellow debris with dangling wires was spotted several hundred miles off Cape Flattery on September 1, 1927, thought to be part of Golden Eagle.

[140] Martin Jensen piloted Aloha on an aerial search, carrying Denham Scott, Golden Eagle navigator Gordon's brother, in May 1928, looking over the jungle slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii based on unsubstantiated reports that a monoplane had been spotted there heading for Honolulu on August 17, 1927.

[147] Wreckage from one or more airplanes washed ashore at Kamilo Beach in June 1929; one bit apparently was part of a stabilizer, a 30-inch (760 mm) piece of aluminum with a few chips of red, white, and blue paint, matching the livery of Miss Doran.

[148] The final search for the missing aviators concluded later that month, as Jack Frost's brother Ezra followed up a theory the Golden Eagle may have crash landed on Mauna Loa.

[152] Goebel and Davis returned on the Matson liner SS Manoa,[84] with Woolaroc on board,[153] to an impromptu parade in San Francisco, arriving on August 31.

[85] Both Woolaroc and Aloha were powered by the Wright Whirlwind, which added to that engine's endurance legend, as it had already been used in Spirit of St. Louis (Lindbergh), Columbia (Chamberlin/Levine), America (Byrd), Bird of Paradise (Maitland/Hegenberger), and City of Oakland (Smith/Bronte).

[168][169] Tributes and flowers were loaded onto SS Maui at the Matson Lines dock on Piers 30 and 32 in San Francisco before it departed for its regular service to Honolulu.

[170][171] On September 16, Maui stopped at the spot where the last message was received from the Dallas Spirit to spread the flowers and release a floral Bible made by Miss Doran's students.

[177] Pan American established a trans-Pacific route later that year during a series of flights,[178] and began regular commercial "Clipper" flying boat service from San Francisco to Manila via Hawaii, Midway, Wake, and Guam in October 1936.