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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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HENRY BELIN and A. FELIX (Jr.) duPONT

 

As well as being one of the premier United States corporate families since 1802, the two members of the duPont family who signed the Parks Airport Register gave specific patronage, service, prizes and records to the aviation community of their time. They are celebrated on this page, because they, along with their sister, Alice F. duPont, were pilots who ranged far and wide across the U.S. in their own aircraft. They ranged just as wide in their relationships with the movers and shakers of aviation of the era.

Alexis Felix duPont, Jr. (Source:
NASM)
Alexis Felix duPont, Jr. (Source: NASM)

 

Felix duPont's activities on behalf of aviation have impact to this day. In 1950, at his Wilmington, Delaware, law offices, the mission of the contemporary Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association was drafted: "…To promote safety in every manner in all phases of aviation, and to engage in research and investigation upon, and the dissemination of, the science and scientific aspects of aviation and kindred subjects."

Felix, left, landed and signed the Register at St. Louis three times, on Monday, October 28, 1929, sometime between April 14 and April 19, 1930, and on Wednesday, June 13, 1934. He flew, respectively, three different airplanes, NC128M, a Fokker Universal, NC339N, a Fokker F-11AHB Amphibian (below), and NC13572, a Waco UIC. He identified his home base as Teterboro, NJ, and was headed west on two occasions to El Paso, TX and Los Angeles, CA. He left no indication of passengers on any of his visits.

He did remain overnight, however, for his first two visits, departing the first time November 1, 1929 after four days in St. Louis. Although he didn't enter a date for his second visit, he did note "Mayfair Hotel" in the remarks column of the Register, so we can assume he stayed downtown on St. Charles St.

Interestingly, NC339N was signed in the Davis-Monthan Register on April 24, 1930. It was flown by Felix. The dates of its April 14- April 19, 1930 landing at St. Louis and the date of its visit at Tucson April 24 suggest this was the same itinerary. Although we don't know what weather conditions he was flying in, four to ten days for a trip by air from St. Louis to Tucson was a leisurely flight.

Below, a photograph of the interesting Fokker F-11AHB Amphibian (NOT 339N) from aerofiles.com. Note the pusher engine with three-bladed propeller atop the wing. The "Warren" text is painted on the hangar front, not on the wing tip of the airplane. An interesting illusion until you pick out th eleading edge of the wing which is underscoring the "Warren."

Fokker F-11AHB (Source: aerofiles.com)
Fokker F-11AHB (Source: aerofiles.com)

There is no indication in the Register if there were passengers at St. Louis. But at Tucson, duPont was carrying George E. Conklin. Neither is there any purpose for any of the flights discernable from either Registers.

Henry Belin duPont (Source: NASM)
Henry Belin duPont (Source: NASM)

Henry Belin duPont landed once at Parks Airport, on Saturday, December 27, 1930 at 11:00AM. He was flying a Verville he identified as NC452M. Based at Wilimington, DE, he cited his destination as Wilmington, as well.

There is an interesting connection between Henry duPont and another Parks Register pilot and airplane. Henry owned and separately entered his Bellanca aircraft (Model CH-200, NC4799, piloted by Victor Dallin) in the Speed and Efficiency contests of the 1928 National Air Races (NAR). Henry and Dallin took 2nd place in the Speed race, with a time of 28:39:02 and a speed of 104.65MPH. Besides $450 cash, they won the Aviation Town and Country Club Trophy. Victor went on to take first place in the Efficiency contest, winning $1,200. Near a decade later, at age forty-one, H.B. duPont was elected vice-president and member of the Executive Committee of his family company.

H.B. duPont also visited the Davis-Monthan Airfield three times flying Buhl Airster NC303. This was a particularly ground breaking airplane, since NC303 was the first production model J-4 Airster. This aircraft was assigned the very first Approved Type Certificate (ATC #1), issued with some fanfare on March 29, 1927. Thereafter, each aircraft type built in the United States would have an approved type certificate issued by the federal government.

Felix landed three times at Parks Airport. He landed twice and signed the Register at the Davis-Monthan Airfield. Henry landed once at St. Louis and three times at Tucson. The duPont's full biography, including Alice, is online at the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register Web site at the link. Henry duPont was born July 25, 1898 and died in Delaware during April, 1970. Felix duPont was born in Wilmington, DE on October 2, 1905.

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