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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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Allard, Noel. 1986. Speed: The Biography of Charles W. Holman. Flying Books. ISBN 13: 9780911139013.

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I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Holman 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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CHARLES W. "Speed" HOLMAN

"It was an easy trip, I pulled her wide open and kept her there all the way."

C.W. Holman, May 30, 1929

C.W. Holman landed once at Parks Airport, on May 29, 1929. He flew the Laird LC-R Speed Wing NR7087. He was a competitor in the Gardner Trophy Race, and his landing represented his first place finish in heat #3 of the race preliminaries that he flew from Fargo, ND to East St. Louis. His official time was 5:11 for an average speed of 152MPH. A photograph of Holman is at the link.

He would go on to win the final race the next day, which was a round trip from Parks Airport to Indianapolis, IN. He covered the 458 miles handily in 2:58:40 at an average speed of 157MPH. He won $5,500 for his effort; a considerable sum in 1929. The quote above was made after this win.

Holman was a native of Minnesota. Earlier, he was a stunt pilot, barnstormer, wing walker, parachutist and airmail pilot. He was also an airline pilot, being the the first hired by Northwest Airways in 1926. In 1928, Holman set a world's record of 1,433 consecutive loops in an airplane in five hours over the St. Paul Airport. As well as a tribute to his personal stamina, 1,433 loops is a tribute to the ruggedness of the airplane he flew.

Holman was born December 27, 1898. He died young on May 17, 1931 as the result of a crash during an aerial performance at Omaha, NB. An article summarizing his life appeared in Popular Aviation, July, 1931. You may download that article at the link (PDF 1.4Mb). The Minnesota Historical Society holds a collection of his memorabilia. A biography from 1986 is cited in the left sidebar. He was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 1988. His dedication states as follows:

"Holman was born in Minneapolis and grew up a daredevil. Early pranks and motorcycle racing earned him the nickname "Speed." He learned to fly at the Security Aircraft Company at Speedway Field in 1920, did some parachute jumps and received his first airplane as a gift from his father. Stunting and cross-country racing became his passion. His name became a household word, and when the newly organized Northwest Airways looked for its first pilot, they hired Speed. He became Operations Manager and pioneered air mail routes across Wisconsin and into North Dakota. His airline career was punctuated by wins in national air races, including the prestigious Thompson Trophy Race in 1930, part of the National Air Races in Chicago. Holman set a looping record that stood for many years; visited every corner of the State, lobbying the cities to build airports; was considered one of the country's top aerobatic pilots; and every fragment of his life was spectacular. Such was his death during an impromptu aerobatic performance at the dedication of the Omaha Airport. His funeral was the largest in state history, with a hundred thousand persons turning out along the funeral route and at the cemetery."

Holman has a modest Web presence, including over a half-dozen articles in The New York Times. Oddly, most of his coverage references his participation in the NAR and other activities; very few mention his Gardner victory. His obituary, as it appeared in The TImes of May 18, 1931 is below.

The New York Times, May 18, 1931 (Source: NYT)
The New York Times, May 18, 1931 (Source: NYT)

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 06/18/13 REVISED: 08/04/14, 09/28/20