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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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THE SILAS AMOS MOREHOUSE COLLECTION PHOTOGRAPHS

 

Silas Morehouse left us 44 photographs of different sizes and subjects. His reasons for collecting and saving them is anybody's guess. They came to us in albums and loose. Key to the photos that follow is this 10-page chronological summary of Morehouse's flying and military careers (PDF 8.5mB). I have arranged his documents more or less chronologically so if you open the PDF and compare it with the dates of the photos, you can give them context.

First, an early view of Marjorie Stinson in a Wright Flyer, ca. before 1920.

Marjorie Stinson Pre-1920 (Source" Woodling)
Marjorie Stinson Pre-1920 (Source" Woodling)

According to the summary of his career, from 1918-1925 Morehouse was affiliated with the military in both the Marine Corps and the Army. He collected 18 photos of military aircraft exhibited below.

Below is what appears to be a genuine Fokker D-7. It is probably a war prize for WWI. It's probably not one of the Hollywood "Fokkers" that were really Wacos and Travel Airs painted up (see below). I have no information about this airplane or why Morehouse possessed its photograph. The person in the cockpit is not Morehouse. If you can shed light on the airplane, please let me KNOW.

Fokker D-7, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Fokker D-7, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below, appears a Navy craft, A-6586 (not a Register airplane), which was a Douglas DT-2 manufactured under contract to Lowe-Willard-Fowler. The link takes you to another photo at the San Diego Aerospace Museum Flickr stream of A-6585, a sister ship on floats. A-6586 has no Bureau Number on the fuselage, and the number is barely readable on the rudder. The reason that Morehouse possessed this photo is unclear.

Navy Douglas DT-2, A-65486, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Navy Douglas DT-2, A-65486, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below is Army aircraft number 23-937, a Curtiss JN-4H rebuilt for ambulance work.Notice the open hatch for a stretcher. The identification number is readable just in front of the horizontal stabilizer.

Army 23-937, Curtiss JN-4H, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Army aircraft number 23-937, a Curtiss JN-4H

Below is the Army Vought VE-9, 22-385. This airplane was destroyed in a takeoff accident, Waco, TX, May 9, 1924. As far as I know, Morehouse was not the pilot. For extra credit, what was the position of the control stick when the shutter was snapped? What was the position of the rudder pedals?

Army Vought VE-9, 22-385, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Army Vought VE-9, 22-385, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below is a nice port side photograph of a Navy Curtiss 18T Wasp. Note the triplane configuration. A-3325 (not a Register airplane) was the first of two of the type that were manufactured (the second being A-3326). According to Joe Baugher's site, the Army borrowed A-3325 for tests with a full military load during August 1918, and attained a speed of 163 mph, the world's fastest aircraft at the time, but the record was not recognized. A-3325 was later converted to an 18T-2 and used to set a world altitude record of 34,910 feet September 8, 1919. Fitted with floats, it also set a world's seaplane altitude record.

Navy Curtiss 18T Wasp, A-3325, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Navy Curtiss 18T Wasp, A-3325, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Both aircraft were used by the Navy in post-WWI air races. A-3325 crashed during a test flight, A-3326 broke a crankshaft and was destroyed. Since Morehouse earned his wings in March 1925, he flew neither airplane. A sharper image of A-3325 is below, courtesy of Johan Visschedijk and 1000 Aircraft Photos.

Navy Curtiss 18T Wasp, A-3325, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Visschedijk)
Navy Curtiss 18T Wasp, A-3325, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

According to Joe Baugher's site, below is a port view of a big Standard/Handley Page O/400, 62449 (not a Register airplane). Specs for the Handley-Page are at the link. There are at least two people beneath the airplane that look like they are taking a break while working on a wheel. I have no information about 62449 except that most of its sister ships in its number series were wrecked.

Standard/Handley Page O/400, 62449, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Standard/Handley Page O/400, 62449, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below, a group of snapshots that appeared on the same album page (see the nose of the Handley-Page). They depict Morehouse and two other pilots, probably during training at Kelly Field. The one identifiable number is partial: "A.S. 22-3..." written on the fuselage of the left-hand airplane in the second row. According to Joe Baugher's Web site, aircraft numbers prefixed with 22-3XX could be any of a half-dozen makes and models, many of which met their fates in crashes near Kelly Field during the 1920s. The one numbered 417 is pictured again, below.

S.A. Morehouse Miscellaneous Snapshots, Ca. 1921-28 (Source: Woodling)

 

S.A. Morehouse, Small Portrait, Ca. Early 1920s (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse, Small Portrait, Ca. Early 1920s (Source: Woodling)

 

 

 

Below, a Martin MB-1 bomber airframe (Martin name is in the star on the fuselage). The MB-1 was an improvement on the Handley-Page, above. This model is the unusual GMP (Glenn Martin Passenger), used as an enclosed, ten-passenger transport. Note the enclosed cockpit and passenger windows. It was powered by two 400HP Liberty engines.

I can make out a "P" on the rudder, but no number. The numbers beginning with P generally were assigned to McCook or Wright Fields as P-"N" where N was an identifying digit. The men standing in front are unidentified, although the second from left could be Morehouse in a skimmer. This photo was glued in Morehouse's album next to the portrait at right.

 

 

 

 

Martin MB-1, Model GMP, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)
Martin MB-1, Model GMP, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below, at top, is Morehouse standing in front of what appears to be an Army deHavilland DH-4 model. Morehouse wears a flying helmet and an oil-stained jump suit. Note the spare wheel lashed to the port landing gear and the wind-powered generator..

Morehouse (top) and deHavilland DH-4, Unknown (below), Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

If anyone can identify the gentleman above, please let me KNOW.

Below is an undated group photograph of a Martin NBS machine festooned with pilots and crew. The location is probably Kelly Field, where Morehouse completed the Army advanced flying school. The photo was annotated to indicate Morehouse sitting on the propeller, upper right. If you can identify any of the others, please let me KNOW.

Martin NBS With Flight Personnel, Ca. Mid-1920s at Kelley Field (?) (Source: Woodling)
Martin NBS With Flight Personnel, Ca. Mid-1920s at Kelley Field (?) (Source: Woodling)

Below is an informal photograph of Morehouse (R) and three unidentified airmen posing next to an unidentified airplane, ca. 1921-27. If anyone can identify the other gentleman, please let me KNOW. They all wear the oil spots of old airplanes.

S.A. Morehouse (R) and Others By an Unidentified Airplane (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse (R) and Others By an Unidentified Airplane (Source: Woodling)

 

Below is an early (ca. early to mid-1920's?) aerial view of Sand Point Naval Air Station, Seattle, WA. The link takes you to a page describing Seattle-area airports and features a 1938 aerial of Sand Point to compare with this earlier one. The airplane in the foreground appears to be a Liberty-powered Douglas on floats.

Aerial View of Sand Point Airport, Seattle, WA (Source: Woodling)
Aerial View of Sand Point Airport, Seattle, WA (Source: Woodling)

Next, two views of the "set" and aircraft that were used in the movie "Wings," filmed during 1926-27.

The Set of the Movie "Wings," 1926-27 (Source: Woodling)
The Set of the Movie "Wings," 1926-27 (Source: Woodling)

Next, some of the aircraft used in "Wings."

Aircraft Used in "Wings" (Source: Woodling)
Aircraft Used in "Wings" (Source: Woodling)

Below is a starboard portrait of Morehouse in his Western Air Express (WAE) uniform. Note the hat badge and wings.

S.A. Morehouse, Ca.1927 (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse, Ca.1927 (Source: Woodling)

Below is one cap badge foom Transcontinental and Western Air, and wings that he wore with Western Air Express. If you look closely, there are slight differences between these and the ones on his uniforms above and below. These are the genuine articles among his Collection.

S.A. Morehouse, Cap Badge and Wings, TWA & Western Air Express, Ca. 1927 (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse, Cap Badge and Wings, Western Air Express, Ca. 1927 (Source: Woodling)

Another portrait below, probably taken 1928-29.

S.A. Morehouse, TW&A Uniform, Ca. 1928-29 (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse, TW&A Uniform, Ca. 1928-29 (Source: Woodling)

Below is a photograph of Morehouse (C) shaking hands with an unidentifiedgentleman. The airplane in the background is a Fokker F-14, probably NC331N (logged three times during July 1931 in the Grand Central Air Terminal Register). Morehouse worked for WAE flying mail. The other pilot is unidentified.

Silas Morehouse (C) and Two Others in Front of Fokker NC331N (Source: Woodling)
Silas Morehouse (C) and Two Others in Front of Fokker NC331N (Source: Woodling)

Below, another view, which, from the woman's dress, is probably of the same vintage, of a WAE Douglas mail plane. The people are unidentified, but the woman is handing weighed packages to the pilot for shipment. The flat box on the top of the stack contained Calvado avocados.One of the items for shipment is a bell being mailed 'collect' (tag readable under enhancement).

WAE Douglas Airplane Taking Mail Aboard, Ca. Late 1920s (Source: Woodling)
WAE Douglas Airplane Taking Mail Aboard, Ca. Late 1920s (Source: Woodling)

Below, a view of what may be nine WAE maintenance personnel from 1928. If you can recognize the people, please let me KNOW. The location of the photograph was not specified.

WAE Maintenance Personnel, 1928 (Source: Woodling)
WAE Maintenance Personnel, 1928 (Source: Woodling)

Below, a group of WAE employees, about the same vintage. Again the names, date and location were not specified. Morehouse was not among either of these groups.

WAE Personnel, Ca. 1928 (Source: Woodling)
WAE  Personnel, Ca. 1928 (Source: Woodling)

Below are several views of Morehouse with fellow Western Air Express pilot Alton Parker (did not sign the Register). First is a photo of them flight planning on the fender of their Fokker transport. Upon magnification, Parker's writing instrument appears fo be a Parker Duofold fountain pen (no relation to Alton). Scroll down at the link after enjoying the vintage film made available to us by a site guest who is a member of the Parker pen family.

Morehouse (L) and Parker Flight Planning on a Fender, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)
Morehouse (L) and Parker Flight Planning on a Fender, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)

Next, Parker inspects the fine points of a Fokker wheel while Morehouse watches.

Alton Parker Inspects Fokker Landing Gear (Source: Woodling)
Alton Parker Inspects Fokker Landing Gear (Source: Woodling)

Next, inspection and flight planning finished, they prepare to depart with a handshake. This photo appeared in a news clipping exhibited on Morehouse's biography page.

Morehouse (L) and Parker Shaking Hands, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)
Morehouse (L) and Parker Shaking Hands, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)

Below, they stand in discussion in the cockpit of a Fokker transport. The thickness of the Fokker wing root can be appreciated in this view. Parker had recently joined TW&A.

Morehouse (L) and Parker Standing in Cockpit, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)
Morehouse (L) and Parker Standing in Cockpit, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)

Next is a portrait of Morehouse from 1929.

S.A. Morehouse, 1929 (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse, 1929 (Source: Woodling)

 

Below is the Fokker F-10A NC582K (S/N 1042) that Morehouse is known to have flown through Albuquerque, NM on Tuesday, August 6, 1929. This photo was taken on the ramp in front of the terminal building at Burbank Airport, AKA United Airport or Union Air Terminal. It wears Western Air Express livery.

Fokker F-10A at Burbank, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)
Fokker F-10A at Burbank, Ca. 1929 (Source: Woodling)

Next is a photograph of Morehouse taken from behind at an unusual angle while he was sitting in the pilot seat of a trimotor aircraft (note three throttles). He looks like he was fatigued.

Morehouse in Cockpit of Trimotor Transport, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Woodling)

Below, Morehouse stands 4th from left on October 5, 1929. The airplane is the Fokker F-10A, NC812H (readable on the rudder). At the bottom of the photograph is written, "'Banker's Air Special' -- Flight Over Southern California -- Dropped in Agua Caliente and San Diego October 5, 1929." This was a charter flight operated by Western Air Express.

"Banker's Air Special," Fokker F-10A, NC812H , October 5, 1929 (Souirce: Woodling)

Next, Morehouse stands in a dusting of snow at left with two unidentified gentleman.

Morehouse (L) With Unidentified (Source: Woodling)
Morehouse (L) With Unidentified (Source: Woodling)

 

Below, a photo of Morehouse (R), an army officer identified as Colonel Bigelow and an unidentified woman. The photo was taken during the delivery flight of Fokker F-32 NC334N. It was taken while on the ground at St. Louis (STL), April 2-4, 1930. See Morehouse's log book entry at the link. His landing at his final destination, Alhambra, CA, is also logged on April 8th. At the time of this photograph, Morehouse was Chief Pilot for WAE, later to merge with TWA.

Silas Morehoouse et al. at St. Louis, MO, April 3-4, 1930 (Source: Woodling)
Silas Morehoouse et al. at St. Louis, MO, April 3-4, 1930 (Soure: Woodling)

Below, the caption that appeared on the back of the photo above. Morehouse and the F-32 landed at Peterson Field a few days later, signing the Register on April 7,1930 at 8:45AM. Please visit his biography page, linked above, for details of his visit, including information about his passengers.

Caption, Silas Morehoouse et al. at St. Louis, MO, April 3-4, 1930 (Soure: Woodling)
Caption, Silas Morehoouse et al. at St. Louis, MO, April 3-4, 1930 (Soure: Woodling)

Below, a cartoon about the tribulations of an F-32 pilot. Periodic reporting responsibilities were heavy, but this cartoon is laden with what can only be inside jokes.

Fokker F-32 Cartoon, Ca. 1930 (Source: Woodling)
Fokker F-32 Cartoon, Ca. 1930 (Source: Woodling)

 

S.A. Morehouse TWA Luggage Tag, Ca. Late 1940s (Source: Woodling)

 

Luggage identification tag, left, perhaps hung from his flight chart case.

Below, an advertisement featuring Morehouse standing in front of a TWA Boeing 307 Stratoliner with a fellow pilot and a 1941 Hudson sedan. The safety reference prabably refers to steering and braking innovations Hudson bought out with the 1941 model. It is not clear if the "Lemon" written on the insert text is in reference to the car, or the magazine owner's name.

 

 

 

Morehouse With 1941 Hudson and Boeing 307 (Source: Woodling)
Morehouse With 1941 Hudson and Boeing 307 (Source: Woodling)

Another photo about the same time of the Boeing 307 is below with uniformed TWA (and Register) pilots Lawrence J. Chiappino (L), H. Grow and Morehouse joking with a CBS news interviewer, ca. 1940. The interviewer and other men are unidentified.

L.J. Chiappino, H. Grow and Morehouse Joking With a CBS News Interviewer, Ca. 1940 (Source: Woodling)
L.J. Chiappino, H. Grow and Morehouse Joking With a CBS News Interviewer, Ca. 1940 (Source: Woodling)

 

In May 1942, Morehouse was appointed captain in the Air Corps and assigned to fly transport aircraft. Below, he is at left in the cockpit of a Douglas C-54 sometime after that date.

S.A. Morehouse (L) in Cockpit of Douglas C-54 During WWII (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse (L) in Cockpit of Douglas C-54 During WWII (Source: Woodling)

In May 1944, Morehouse earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Below, he posed at that rank without collar stays.

Lt.Col. S.A. Morehouse, May 1944 (Source: Woodling)

Below, another portrait at the same rank. If you study his eyes and compare to his earlier likenesses, there comes a weariness.

Lt.Col. S.A. Morehouse, Ca. May 1944 (Source: Woodling)
Lt.Col. S.A. Morehouse, Ca. May 1944 (Source: Woodling)

 

After WWI, in February 1946, Morehouse was back at work for TWA in the International division assigned to Italy. Below, he receives his 20 year pin with TWA. A month earlier, he terminated his active flying career with 14,212 civil flight hours and 2,039 military flight hours.

S.A. Morehouse (L) Assumes Management Position With TWA Interational Division (Source: Woodling)
S.A. Morehouse (L) Assumes Management Position With TWA Interational Division (Source: Woodling)

Below, a triptych photograph identified as "TWA DC-3 in Europe." I estimate the date sometime just post-WWII because of the uniformed gentleman in the left panel.

"TWA DC-3 in Europe" (Source: Woodling)
"TWA DC-3 in Europe" (Source: Woodling)

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