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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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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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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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LOCKHEED ORION 9A SPECIAL NC12229

This airplane landed four times at Colorado Springs. Each time it was identified as being owned by Hal Roach. And each time it was flown by James B. Dickson. Dickson was a prolific visitor to our suite of airfields, landing six times at Colorado Springs, four times at Clover Field, and eight times at the Davis-Monthan Airfield. Two more photographs of the airplane are exhibited at pilot Dickson's link.

NC12229 was manufactured by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, CA, during Novermber 1931. It was a five-place airplane weighing 5,400 pounds. It left the factory with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp SC engine of 450HP, S/N 1927. It had extra fuel tanks (122 gallons in five tanks) installed.

On January 15, 1932 it sold to the Hal Roach Studios, Inc., Culver City, CA. Owned by Hal Roach (think Laurel & Hardy), NC12229 was named the "Spirit of Fun." According to the information at the NASM (left sidebar), the airplane was first registered as "NX" as a modified Orion. Besides the extra fuel capacity, it had a six-inch longer fuselage, a retractible tail wheel and a 3° wing dihedral.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration changed the registration to NC after the airplane type was approved as the "Orion 9A Special." It was under this registration we find it at Colorado Springs.

Its first visit at Colorado Springs was Tuesday, July 5, 1932 at 11:00AM. Based at Los Angeles, CA, Dickson carried a single, unidentified passenger. They were eastbound to Chicago, IL. No purpose was given for their trip.

Below, an unrelated photograph of NC12226 from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL). Thanks to site visitor John Lyon, who identified the gentlemen, second from left is Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957). The other gentleman is possibly director Henry King ()1886-1982). The women are unidentified (but probably spouses). If you recognize them, please let me KNOW.

Lockheed Orion NC12229, Date & Location Unknown (Source: LAPL)

The second visit was on Thursday, July 14, 1932 at 4:10PM. Besides Dickson, the airplane again carried a single, unidentified passenger. They were westbound from Kanas City, MO to the Grand Canyon, AZ. The final two landings were about a month later, on Monday and Saturday August 1 & 6, 1932. Two passengers were carried each time, and the flights seemed to be western excursions between points on or near the west coast and the midwest. No purpose was given for either flight.

In the fall of 1932, the Orion was loaded aboard the Matson liner S.S. Monterey and shipped to Australia. With Dickson as pilot, it was undertaking a round-the-world tour carrying Arthur Loew, VP of MGM Studios, and Joseph Rosthal. See this link for more information and pictures of NC12229. See this link to view 47 pages of communications and documentation from the National Archives of Australia between Dickson and the Australian government during the preparation for the Australia leg of the flight (sometimes this link doesn't work on this research-oriented site, try again later). See this link for images of NC12229 on the ground in Australia (enter "Spirit of Fun" in the search box). Another, partial, photo of the airplane is at the link. This link is a blog, so I'm not sure how long the content will be available. If you find the link is down, please let me KNOW.

NC12229 made a circuit of Australia and was trans-shipped to China and flown from China to South Africa. Alas, the world tour was not to be. At the Victoria Falls Airport, Northern Rhodesia, on November 17, 1932, "The Spirit of Fun" crashed. Passengers Loew and Rosthal were injured and Dickson was killed. Dickson flew with Transport pilot certificate T1241.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 04/21/14 REVISED: 04/13/15