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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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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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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TRAVEL AIR B-6000 NC8113
NC8113 was a prolific visitor to the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT). It is recorded 14 times between December 21, 1930 and May 13, 1931. Half the landings were in the morning and the other half in the afternoon, suggesting the landings were not according to any schedule. "Local" was entered in the destination column of the Register, suggesting these flights were personal. As with many of the Register entries, the tower operator failed to enter pilot names, so we don't know who was flying, their names only guesses.
NC8113 was manufactured March 14, 1929, S/N 885, by the Travel Air Company, Wichita, KS. It was sold on March 16th to movie producer/director Victor Fleming of Beverly Hills, CA (1889-1949; think "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind"). This REFERENCE, volume 2, page 89ff. features NC8113 as it was owned by Fleming for, "personal air-taxi to out-of-the-way places." He probably had a personal pilot on-staff to handle flight planning and flying duties. One image from the link is below.
The B-6000 had very good short-field characteristics and could manage good-sized loads in and out of these small areas, a common need during the Golden Age. As of March, 1929 the 6000-B was powered by the Wright J6-9 engine. NC8113 was powered by the 300HP version, S/N 10194. It was a six-place, closed monoplane weighing 4,230 pounds. IT cruised at 100MPH. With a payload of 900 pounds with 83 gallons full fuel, the six passengers had to be light. The seats could be removed for various freight configurations. About 55 of this model were built. The price at Wichita was $13,000.
The photograph below is from the same source as above. Victor Fleming appears to be in the passenger seat. The airplane behind 8113 appears to be another model 6000. Perhaps this photograph was taken on the day 8113 was delivered at the factory. His overcoat would be appropriate for March in Wichita.
Fleming owned NC8113 only a little over a year. On July 31, 1930 he sold it to Register pilot H.C. Lippiatt, a Travel Air dealer and broker on the west coast. Lippiatt owned the airplane until 1932. So it was during Lippiatt's ownership that we find 8113 landing at GCAT. We can guess that a number of those landings were flown by him.
On April 11, 1932 Lippiatt sold the airplane to Walter Wood Williams of Bloomington, IL. It had accumulated 305 flight hours. Williams owned Williams Oil-O-Matic Heating Corporation and probably used the airplane for business travel. On September 1, 1932, Williams had a 28 gallon fuel tank installed in the front cabin seating area. He operated the airplane as a four-place craft. He also added toilet equipment and changed the tail wheel.
Williams owned the airplane until 1944. During his ownership he installed a generator at 839 total hours, and a radio antenna on August 30, 1940. With the outbreak of WWII, the NASM paperwork notes that NC8813, with 861 total flight hours, was fitted out on February 28, 1942 for, "Certain work is to be carried out at Champaign, Ill. airport with the Nat'l Defense Research Committee of the Office of Scientific Research & Development." I have no idea what that work was.
Here things go fuzzy regarding the chain of custody of NC8113. On June 21, 1944 the airplane was reported sold to G. Max Williams of Memphis, TN. In August that year the left wing and rudder were re-covered and the engine supercharger clutch was installed. The airplane was moved to Conway, AR. Then, curiously, on August 3, 1944, a telegram to the Department of Transportation (DOT) from the Chief in charge of the aeronautical department in Mexico inquired as to the airworthiness status of NC8113.
The DOT responded in the affirmative that the airplane was airworthy. There was no further reply from south of the border and it was assumed that NC8113 was exported to Mexico. A query from the DOT to G. Max Williams in Arkansas received a response in March of 1948. Williams stated, "I have never owned the aircraft. I have only flown in it." The registration and airworthiness certificates were canceled as of August 4, 1948. Six months later, Victor Fleming passed away.
NC8113 also landed once at Parks Airport on August 31, 1931 at 1:45PM. The pilot this time was H.C. Lippiatt. He declared his destination as Cleveland, OH. The 1931 National Air Races were held at Cleveland that year from August 29-September 7. Chances are good that Lippiatt, as a Travel Air broker, was on his way there for business networking.
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