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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Hall and his airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.

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I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Hall and his airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.

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JAMES GOODWIN HALL

 

James Goodwin Hall, Date & Location Unknown (Source: SDAM)

 

James Goodwin Hall landed once at St. Louis, on Friday, July 10, 1931 at 6:15PM. He flew solo in his Lockheed Altair, NR15W. Hall and his Lockheed are pictured at left, courtesy of the San Diego Aerospace Museum Flickr Stream (SDAM). The airplane livery advertises The Crusaders, a group of men of means based on both coasts who supported the end of Prohibition. Hall's support extended to the glass of beer in his hand (a federal offense at the time if it was really beer in the glass), and to the focused advertising he exposed to many people while he flew.

The months of June and July, 1931 were busy for Hall (see below). He had recently set a north-south record from Vancouver, BC to Agua Caliente, Mexico on June 20th. At Parks Airport he had been in pursuit of a transcontinental flight record from Los Angeles, CA to New York. He discontinued his effort in Wichita arriving at Parks at dinner time. He remained overnight at St. Louis, departing the next morning at 4:15AM and continued east to New York.

Soon after his return to New York, however, he flew to Cuba. The New York Times of July 19, 1931 cites the record flight to Havana as follows. The article contains a grainy photo of Hall in flying gear, which I did not include. For excellent images of Hall and NR15W, please direct your browser to the airplane's Web page linked above.

Note in the article below the informal competition with Parks Register signer Frank Hawks. Goodwin and Hawks traded records several times during 1931. While beating him southbound to Cuba, Goodwin's return from Havana on July 21 lagged behind Hawks' return time by just a few minutes.

The New York Times, July 19, 1931 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, July 19, 1931 (Source: NYT)

Besides intercity records, Hall also entered the Bendix competition during the 1931 National Air Races. He was among elite racers and finished sixth and last in the race from Burbank, CA to Cleveland, OH. According to The New York Times of September 5th, his time was 12 hours, 51 minutes, 16 seconds, which was more than three hours behind the winner, Jimmy Doolittle.

A couple of months later, Hall suffered a horrific accident with NR15W on Staten Island, NY. The New York Times of September 22, 1931 captured the incident and the conditions leading up to it as follows. Hall's passenger, Peter J. Brady, a well-known banker and labor leader of the era, was killed, as was the owner of the home struck by the aircraft. Amazingly, Hall survived.

The New York Times, September 22, 1931 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, September 22, 1931 (Source: NYT)

Passenger Brady's news coverage was prolific over the next week, His funeral was attended by 1,500 people and his pall bearers were chosen from New York State elite. The accident also marked the end of NR15W. No charges were brought against Hall by the Civil Aeronautics Administration or by local police authorities.

Hall was was himself a wealthy New York broker. He was an Army flyer during WWI and earned several aerial victories in combat, as well as a handful of medals and commendations. He seems to have held onto his investments as the Great Depression deepened. He has a broad coverage in The New York Times through the decade of the 1930s, not only for his flying activities, but also his social life. The Times of November 17, 1932 covers his wedding to Anne V. Burnett of Texas, below. For his position and wealth, theirs was a simple wedding, seemingly planned to avoid local notoriety and media coverage.

The New York Times, November 17, 1932 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, November 17, 1932 (Source: NYT

Several news articles through the middle 1930s cite his attendance at parties, luncheons and dinners, some in his honor, in social settings on Long Island and New York City. One article cites a burglary of his hotel room (while he and his wife were asleep) that resulted in the loss of $75,000 of Anne's jewelery.

The New York Times, October 4, 1931 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, October 4, 1931 (Source: NYT)

 

He bought a new airplane, another Lockheed Altair, just couple of weeks after his accident. The article, left, from The New York Times of October 4, 1931 describes the purchase, but does not specify the registration number of the new Altair. I checked this REFERENCE but could find no other Lockheed of that model sold to Hall. Does anyone KNOW the registration number?

A follow-up article ("Hoover Greets 3 Wets") appeared in the October 8th Times and Hall lamented the fact that, even though he had an appointment with him, he was unable to converse with President Hoover about the Crusaders and their anti-prohibition message..

During WWII, Hall was a colonel in the Air Corp. The New York Times of October 5, 1943, below, describes his duties, and gives a little background on his earlier military service..

The New York Times, October 5, 1943 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, October 5, 1943 (Source: NYT)

 

J.G. Hall Obituary, The New York Times, April 20, 1952 (Source: NYT)
J.G. Hall Obituary, The New York Times, April 20, 1952 (Source: NYT)

 

 

From the article, right, it appears Hall divorced his first wife, Anne, and married again. His widow is citied as being named Tamara Hall.

Hall worked for the Graham-Paige company at his death. Graham-Paige manufactured automobiles during the 1930s, but after WWII it had abandoned automobiles and moved into real estate.

Hall set records flying to Havana, Cuba, Canada, Rochester, NY, Chicago, IL and New Orleans, LA. He traded these records with some of the great aviation names of the Golden Age: Frank Hawks, Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner. He survived a major air crash that should have, under ordinary circumstances, ended his life. He competed in the Bendix Trophy Race, one of the premier race events of the 20th century, but finished sixth, just out of the money. And he served with distinction in two World Wars.

Born in 1897, Hall passed away at a young 55 years of age. The New York Times of April 20, 1952 reported his passing, below. It gave no reason for his death. Causation is hard to tell, but Prohibition did officially end in the United States in December, 1933, just over two years after Hall crusaded with his "Crusader." He enjoyed his cocktails for barely 20 years after his efforts with his Altair.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 07/02/13 REVISED: 11/21/14