OTHER RESOURCES
Some of this information comes from the listings of Non-Prefixed and Non-Suffixed aircraft reviewed by me in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.
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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 (available in paperback) 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 Kindle Edition 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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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 (available in paperback) 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 (available as free PDF download) 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 Kindle Edition 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 & Kindle Edition) 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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YOU CAN HELP
I'm looking for information and photographs of this 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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FORD 5-AT-B NC9644
Transcontinental Air Transport Fleet Number 603
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This big airplane was built ca. November, 1928 by the Stout Metal Airplane Company, Division of Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI. It was assigned S/N 5-AT-7. It left the factory with three Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines of 400HP each (right engine S/N 947; center 950; left 946). It weighed 13,250 pounds. It sold on December 19, 1928 to Transcontinental Air Transport, Inc. (TAT) based in New York, NY. It was named "City of Washington." Photograph, right, and below, left from the Mohave Museum of History and Arts (MMHA), Kingman, AZ. Both photos were taken at the airport dedication on June 25, 1929.
NC9644 was a frequent presence at GCAT, being recorded in the Register at least 34 times during 1931. Unfortunately, the tower operator, who signed aircraft and people in and out, only identified three pilots by name. They were Royal Leonard, Eddie Bellande and "Whitney" (Frederic Whitney). It was cryptically identified with the number "603" in the owner's column. It was fleet number 603 for TAT.
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The "City of Washington" was a workhorse transport for Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) and its successor, Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA). It ran the route from GCAT to San Francisco and return, sometimes departing and arriving GCAT twice a day. The photographs show it in TAT livery.
When TAT merged with TWA in 1931, the airplane was "sold" to TWA on April 6, 1931. It was converted to a "Hi-Speed" configuration as of August 27, 1931.
TWA reorganized in 1934, resulting in NC9644 being "sold" to the new company on December 27, 1934. This, and the previous sale appear to be nothing more than a move of assets legally to a new corporate entity. The airplane plied the same itineraries.
TWA flew NC9644 for about 15 months, selling it on March 27, 1936 to Grand Canyon Airlines, Inc. GCA sold it less than a year later, on February, 23, 1937, to Grand Canyon-Boulder Dam Tours, Inc. located in Boulder City, NV. It was placed in storage at Boulder City on July 20, 1937, "pending overhaul."
Finally, on December 11, 1937, NC9644 was sold to TGransportes Aereos Centro-Americanos, Ltda. (TACA), in Tegucigalpa, Hondouras. It was exported to Honduras, and on May 18, 1838 TACA notified the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority the the airplane was to be registered in Guatemala, under registration LG-AAJ during June, 1938. On January 20, 1941, it was registered in Nicaraugua as AN-AAT. No further information.
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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 07/24/14 REVISED: