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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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BEECH D17R NC18790
This airplane (S/N 214) was recorded in the Colorado Springs Register once, on Tuesday, July 18, 1939 at 5:45AM. It was flown by Skeets Barber carrying one unidentified passenger. They had arrived at Peterson Field from Denver and departed for Tulsa, OK at 6:10AM. The owner was identified as "Manning & Martin."
The D17R was a robust, single-engine biplane with retractable landing gear. The series was called staggerwings, because the lower wing was situated forward of the top wing. The 17R model began production in 1937 and flew with the latest 9-cylinder Wright R-975-E3 engine rated at 420HP. Its cruise speed was 202MPH at 9,600 feet, with a range of 825 miles. It was a five-passenger airplane, which continued to be manufactured into 1940. It cost $18,870 at the factory, a handsome price in the late 1930s. It was valued globally, with examples going to China, Japan, South America and the Philippines.
Despite the price tag, however, the aircraft manufacturing industry was showing growth during the late 1930s, and the Beechcraft staggerwing models were very attractive to well-heeled private and commercial operators. The airplane had dual control wheels (swing-over or T-type) and toe brakes for better ground handling. The flaps and landing gear were electrically operated, with manual backup in the event of electrical failure.
According to a site visitor, NC18790 was delivered on August 22, 1938 to Manning & Martin Oil Co, Denver, CO. It was only a year old when it visited us at Colorado Springs. Manning & Martin were the only civil owner until it was impressed into the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) as a UC-43A, 42-38227 on April 11, 1942 at Hensley Field, Dallas, TX with 541 flight hours. About 190 Beechcraft types were impressed from civil owners by the USAAC during 1942-44 for use as light transports and couriers. I have no photograph of NC18790, but below is a wire drawing of the UC-43 type as impressed by the USAAC (cf. this REFERENCE, page 61). The top profile shows nicely the staggerwing configuration.
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The USAAC impressed 13 examples of the model D17R as UC-43A with serials 42-38226 (NC18789), 42-38227 (NC18790), 42-38228 (NC20776), 42-38229 (NC20752), 42-38230 (NC21919), 42-38231 (NC18565), 42-38245 (N203W), 42-38282 (NC400), 42-38357 (NC18029), 42-38358 (NC18576), 42-47383 (NC18793), 42-52999 (NC15817) and 42-68339 (NC17082). They all had Wright R-975-11 engines.
Subsequently, NC18790 was assigned to Bolling Field, Washington, DC on April 14, 1942; then San Antonio Air Depot, TX June 29, 1942; Oakland Airport, Sacramento Air Depot (SAD) CA July 5, 1942 through August 26, 1942. It had accumulated 1,221 total flight hours to that date. It had been flown 680 hours during the four months it was under army control: approximately 170 hours per month or almost six hours per day. That was a lot of flying.
NC18790 suffered an accident on August 27, 1942 at McClellan Field, CA. The pilot was Col. Kenneth A. Rodgers. It endured engine failure on take off and was damaged in the ensuing forced landing. Based at Oakland Airport, CA with SAD, it was condemned and scrapped October 13, 1943. Note that Joe Baugher's site records the crash as occurring on March 27, 1943. This is probably due to a typographical error that appeared on the AAF Aircraft Record Cards. NC18790 appeared in no other Registers.
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