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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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 Sterling and this airplanes 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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Thanks to Guest Editor Bob Woodling for help researching this page.

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CLAUDE McCOY STERLING

 

C.M. Sterling, High School Graduate, 1915 (Source: ancestry.com)

 

Claude Sterling was a frequent signer of the Parks Airport Register. Little wonder, since he the Assistant Chief Flying Instructor for the Parks Air College. Sterling was born ca. 1896 in Texas. The 1910 U.S. Census places him at 13 years old, living with his family in Bourbon County, Kansas. Photograph, right, shows him as a new high school graduate, 1915. He earned a bachelor's degree at Kansas State Teacher's College at Pittsburg, KS. He taught school for several years before taking up flying in the early 1920s. I could find no record of military service.

Claude M. Sterling, 1929 (Source: SLU)

 

 

Photograph, left, courtesy of the St. Louis University Libraries Digital Collections (SLU). Sterling signed the Register thirteen times between March, 1930 and April, 1932. Surprisingly, he flew only two aircraft, the Bellanca NC861N, a CH-300 (recorded twice), and the Bellanca NC10E, a CH-400 (recorded 11 times). His destinations included New York, Chicago and cities in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier, Sterling competed in the 1926 National Air Tour (August 7-August 21). He placed 13th in his Swallow, winning $350. Below, right, is a photograph of Sterling near that time. The image is from this REFERENCE, chapter 2, page 31, which documents the 1926 Tour. It was donated to that publication by Sterling's son, Wayne. The airplane is not the one he flew during the Tour.

C.M. Sterling Posed with Travel Air, 1926 (Source: Forden)

 

 

The 1930 U.S. Census of April 2nd, records his domicile as 1255 Caseyville Avenue, East St. Louis, IL. He was age 33 and lived with his wife Ursa M. (age 33), daughter Geraldine M. (7), son Wayne M. (4) and a servant Lucille Thompson (32). He owned his own home, which was valued at $6,000. He was employed as an "Instructor" in the "Aviation" industry. According to Google Earth, his homesite is now a vacant lot, and was about five miles northeast of the Parks Airport as the crow flies.

 

 

 

 

Claude M. Sterling (L), Clyde E. Brayton, Ca. 1928-1929 (Source: SLU)

 

 

Photograph, left, from SLU. The caption for the photo states, "Early flight instructors at Parks Air College: Claude Sterling (left), Assistant Chief Flying Instructor and Clyde E. Brayton, Chief Flying Instructor (c. 1928-1929)."

Later in the 1930s, Sterling was one of the first pilots for Chicago & Southern Airlines, with routes from Chicago to New Orleans. He remained in commercial aviation until 1941 when he joined the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA).

He died young of a heart attack in 1949 at Washington, DC. He had suffered from heart trouble for two years. Because of that, he had to surrender his pilot certificate. He was an executive with the CAA since 1944, and just before his passing had traveled commercially for conferences at Montreal and in Oklahoma City.

 

Claude M. Sterling, 1940s (Source: ancestry.com)
Claude M. Sterling, 1940s (Source: Ancestry.com)

 

 

 

Sterling also landed once at the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ, September 28, 1929 in the Parks P-2 he identified as NC902K. Indicators also point to a landing at Clover Field, Santa Monica, CA, too, on October 7, 1929. Although he didn't enter a first name of initial, he was flying a Parks P-1 airplane, NC956K, S/N 198-8.

Photo, right, shows Sterling ca. late 1940s, probably during his tenure with the CAA. His wife, Ursa, followed Sterling in death in 1984. They are buried next to each other in Bourbon County, KS.

 

 

 

 

 

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