THANK YOU!

YOUR PURCHASE OF THESE BOOKS SUPPORTS THE WEB SITES THAT BRING TO YOU THE HISTORY BEHIND OLD AIRFIELD REGISTERS

Your copy of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register 1925-1936 with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. 375 pages with black & white photographs and extensive tables

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The Congress of Ghosts (available as eBook) is an anniversary celebration for 2010.  It is an historical biography, that celebrates the 5th year online of www.dmairfield.org and the 10th year of effort on the project dedicated to analyze and exhibit the history embodied in the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ. This book includes over thirty people, aircraft and events that swirled through Tucson between 1925 and 1936. It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders. Order your copy at the link.

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Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register 1925-1936 is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Art Goebel's Own Story by Art Goebel (edited by G.W. Hyatt) is written in language that expands for us his life as a Golden Age aviation entrepreneur, who used his aviation exploits to build a business around his passion.  Available as a free download at the link.

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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race (available as eBook) is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Clover Field: The first Century of Aviation in the Golden State (available in paperback) With the 100th anniversary in 2017 of the use of Clover Field as a place to land aircraft in Santa Monica, this book celebrates that use by exploring some of the people and aircraft that made the airport great. 281 pages, black & white photographs.

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The definitive reference for early Lockheed aircraft is:

Allen, Richard S. 1988. Revolution in the Sky: The Lockheeds of Aviation's Golden Age. Orion Books, NY. 253 pp.

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LOCKHEED VEGA 5C Special NX/NR/NC965Y

This airplane landed twice at Parks Airport. It was a famous airplane, because it was used by Amelia Earhart to set a few flight records. Below, from the Purdue University e-Archives (PUEA), is a photograph of the airplane aloft in 1935.

Lockheed Vega NR965Y, 1935 (Source: PUEA)
Lockheed Vega NR965Y, 1935 (Source: PUEA)

NX965Y visited East St. Louis the first time on Thursday, April 23, 1931. It was flown by Lockheed factory pilot Marshall Headle. Based at Burbank, CA, Headle identified his destination as back to Burbank.

The second visit by NX965Y was a couple of months later on Monday, June 22, 1931 at 5:00PM. This time the pilot was identified only as "Marshall." The handwriting differs from Marshall Headle's, so it's pretty clear that "Marshall" was a different person. Marshall identified his home base as "San Franzisko;" his destination as New York, NY.

According to the Allen reference, left sidebar, NX965Y left the Burbank factory as a high-speed, Special 5C model in April, 1931 as S/N 171. "High-speed" meant it had wire-braced landing gear instead of strut-braced. It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, S/N 2849. It was built on-order for John Henry Mears of New York City, NY. It was painted red and silver and was named "City of New York."

Mears did not take delivery. Rather, 965Y was sold to Elinor Smith for a projected trans-Atlantic flight, which was not made. After two more transfers, it was purchased by Amelia Earhart who used it to set several records. She flew it from Hawaii to Oakland, CA in January, 1935, Los Angeles, CA to Mexico City in April, 1935, and Mexico City to Newark, NJ in May, 1935.

Paul Mantz Owner of NX965Y (?), Popular Aviation, September, 1935 (Source: PA)

 

A short article in Popular Aviation (PA) magazine, June, 1935, right, suggests that Register pilot Paul Mantz purchased NX965Y. There is no record of Mantz owning the airplane in the Allen reference.

There is an interesting relationship between this airplane, Amelia Earhart and Davis-Monthan Airfield passenger William P. Lear. Lear provided the radio compass for Earhart to use on her Los Angeles to Mexico City and Mexico City to Newark flights.

Radio Compass, Popular Aviation, June, 1935 (Source: PA)

 

 

 

At left, from Popular Aviation (PA), September, 1935, is an article that put in place one of the preparations for Earhart's trip to Mexico, and invitation by the Mexican Consul General. Please direct your browser to Lear's page for further details, and for photographs of Lear's innovative radio compass.

 

 

 

 

 

Below, from the Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives (AHS), is a photograph of Earhart's 965Y showing the placement of the loop antenna for the radio compass aft of the wing. The AHS identifies the date of the photograph as 1933. It is probably 1935, because the antenna wasn't installed until April that year.

Lockheed Vega NR965Y, Ca. 1935 (Source: AHS)
Lockheed Vega NR965Y, Ca. 1935 (?) (Source: AHS)

In 1936 the airplane was sold to Seth S. Terry of Reno, NV, who owned it until 1939. In 1939 it sold to Glover Ruckstell who flew it until 1942. He used it for charter and sightseeing and named it "Record Breaker." At some point between Earhart's and Ruckstell's ownership the registration was changed to NC965Y. Ruckstell was associated with Grand Canyon Airlines.

Below is a photograph of "Record Breaker" from the Hawaii Aviation Archive of Historic Photos and Facts (HAA). The date is probably sometime between 1939 and 1943. Look closely at the fuselage behind the wing and you'll be able to read "Record Breaker."

Lockheed NC965Y, "Record Breaker," Date Unknown (Source: HAA)

Ruckstell sold NC965Y to broker Charles Babb, who sold it to Frank M. Matthews of Bethlehem, PA in 1943. NC965Y was destroyed on the ground by fire at Memphis, TN on August 26, 1943.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 05/20/14 REVISED: 06/30/14