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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 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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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WARREN EARL CAREY

PILOT & ADMINISTRATOR

W.E. Carey, Ca. 1936 (Source: Link)

 

 

Warren Carey was born in Urbana, OH January 29, 1896. The 1900 U.S. Census, his first, placed him living with his parents and sister, Ruth (2) in Urbana. Their father, George (29) was a "Broom Sewer." Portrait, left, is from the official program for the 1936 National Air Races, in which Carey was an official. The link will download that program for your enjoyment. Carey is cited on page 15.

The 1910 U.S. Census placed him (age 14) still living in Urbana with his family. Besides his sister, he now had a brother (10) born soon after the 1900 Census. His father now was coded as a "Letter Carrier" for the "Post Office." In 1917, Carey registered for the draft. His draft card is below. He was 21 years old and employed in Troy, OH (coincidentally the home of the Waco Aircraft Company) at the Hobart Manufacturing Company. Notice that he was identified as "Tall." He was 6' 3."

W.E. Carey, WWI Draft Registration Card, June 5, 1917 (Source: ancestry.com)

As with many things, the details are in the fine print. If you look carefully at the diagonal printing at the lower left of this card, the text says, "If person is of African descent, tear off this corner." An example of overt racial profiling in the early 20th century. Some things change; some things remain the same.

Despite his work with "war munitions," (Hobart made electric motors and food service equipment at that time), Carey was inducted at Cincinnati in January 12, 1918 as summarized in the following description of his military service during WWI. He only spent about ten months in service. Note that he was proceeding in the direction of aviation and probably learned rudiments of aviation in the army before he was discharged on November 26, 1918.

Ohio Soldiers in WWI (Source: ancestry.com)
Ohio Soldiers in WWI (Source: ancestry.com)

His career in aviation didn't pick up immediately after his discharge. The 1920 Census placed him as a "Roomer" in a home in Akron, OH. There his occupation was identified as "Designer" in a "Rubber Factory." Many people on the same Census page were employed at the "Rubber Factory."

Somewhere between 1920 and 1930 he began to pursue aviation.The 1930 U.S. Census identified him at age 34 as unmarried and his occupation as "Ship Pilot" on a "Commercial Ship." If we didn't know he was flying for Union Oil at the time (see below), we might think he was a mariner.

Carey appears in the Santa Monica Register seven times flying four different airplanes between March 15, 1929 and March 3, 1931. His itineraries were generally along the west coast, although he did fly across the country (see below). Each time his airplanes were cited as owned by the Union Oil Company, his employer from 1928-1938.

Among the aircraft he brought to Santa Monica were three Travel Airs, two Models 2000 NC4839 (S/N 423) and NC6238 (S/N 683; landed 3 times) and one Model B9-4000 NR9991 (S/N 1169). He also brought the Alexander Eaglerock A-2 NX and NC6355 (landed twice; S/N 680). Carey was a well-known aviator up and down the Pacific coast.

NOTE:

Carey is memorialized online separately at the link. At the link are many references and quotations from news articles and other sources that focus on Carey's flying life. I won't transcribe or try to summarize them here. Rather, given that Web links have a habit of disappearing, I have converted the Web page to a PDF file that you may download at the link (815kB). The focus on his Clover Field page will be on information and photographs not exhibited elsewhere. Please direct your browser to the Web or to the PDF for further details. If you find the Web link broken, please let me KNOW.

Page five of the download mentions the Sheriff's Aero Squadron, intended to function in the event of a major disaster. Carey stands ninth from the left in the back row (counting the officer in the front row). Standing at 6'3" he is easy to identify. Two other Register pilots were among squadron members. Note what appear to be new A-1 leather jackets on most of the flying members. Although the "NC" is barely visible on the vertical stabilizer behind Rice's shoulder, the Fokker was unidentified.

Sheriff's Aero Squadron, March 4, 1934 (Source: Flickr)
Sheriff's Aero Squadron, March 4, 1934 (Source: PDF)

The online description of this photograph follows. It was published in the March 5, 1934 Los Angeles Times. It was republished in the July 10, 2005, Times accompanying a story on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Museum.

"March 4, 1934: Members of Los Angeles County Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz’s volunteer aero squadron from left: Richard McNulte, Goodyear blimp Volunteer; Capt. A. A. Hopkins of the Sheriff’s office; George Rice, veteran Transcontinental and Western Air pilot; Art Klein, Warner Brother studio flyer; William Keith Scott, private flyer; Moye Stevens, private pilot; Capt. Claude F. Morgan, aviation deputy commanding the Sheriff’s aero squadron; Charles N. (Jimmie) James, veteran pilot of Western Air Express; Capt. Warren E. Carey, flying deputy from the Union Oil Company; Sheriff Biscailuz; Deputy Sheriffs Simmons, Anstein, Brown, Vigneau and Capt. Conly of the Alhambra substation of the Sheriff’s office.

"They are standing in front of a Fokker Tri-Motor aircraft."

The Times article stated, "What was planned as an inspection and review of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s aero squadron, most unusual aerial law-enforcement arm in the world, yesterday resulted in an acid test of the ability of the men and planes to function in the most inclement weather conditions, when the thirteen ships forming the squadron flew more than 110 miles, covered strategic areas of the county and visited ten airports.

"The only volunteer air force for law enforcement on earth, the squadron performed in a manner exceeding even the hopes of Sheriff Biscailuz. The new arm of the law demonstrated its worth in emergency as planned, although virtually the entire flight called for blind flying, compasses alone guiding the pilots to their goals.

"Leaving United Airport at Burbank at 10 a.m., the squadron, comprised of ships of a dozen makes, flown by their owners, all of whom are deputies, paused at designated airports en route, were met by civic leaders and officials of the various municipalities and returned to Grand Central Air Terminal at 4 p.m. without mishap. …

"All the planes, including Fokkers, Boeings, Stearmans, Wacos, Cessnas and others, are capable of speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. …

Besides the Squadron flight documented in this photo in March, The San Bernardino County Sun of November 4, 1934, below, recorded a Squadron flight to San Bernardino's Shandin Hills Airport (now abandoned and redeveloped as housing and roads).

San Bernardino County Sun, November 4, 1934 (Source: newspapers.com)
San Bernardino County Sun, November 4, 1934 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My check of the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) Register for March 4, 1934 showed no massed visit by, "Fokkers, Boeings, Stearmans, Wacos, Cessnas and others" that could be interpreted as landings by the Sheriff's Aero Squadron.

The New York Times, October 28, 1942 (Source: newspapers.com)
The New York Times, October 28, 1942 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

The 1940 Census placed him at age 44 living with his wife, Wilma Elizabeth (33; 1906-1985) at 2045 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA. This house today is a modest single storey stucco, which could be 1940s vintage. They owned their home, valued at $8,000. His occupation was listed as "Aviation Safety Inspector" for the "Government Aviation Program." He and Wilma were married in 1934. I found no record of children.

Long a figure in California aviation, Carey was a pilot and head of aviation sales for an oil company [Union Oil] from 1928 to 1938 when he became chief of the safety bureau, Civil Aeronautics Board, at Santa Monica directing accident investigation in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

During World War II he rose from captain to colonel in A.A.F. flying safety work at Washington and following his military service undertook the formulation of a master airport plan for California.

He extended his safety work into WWII, where, as a lieutenant colonel he appeared in The New York Times of October 28, 1942, left.

A consummate flyer-administrator, The Los Angeles Times of December 11, 1947 stated, right, some of his experiences. The majority of the news articles I examined for the period 1945-1951 dealt with his safety work and his efforts to organize and promulgate aviation for the State of California.

The Fresno Bee, February 5, 1948 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

San Bernardino County Sun, December 9, 1947 (Source: newspapers.com)
San Bernardino County Sun, December 9, 1947 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

Indeed, in 1947 he became the State Director of the new Aeronautics Commission in California. The San Bernardino County Sun of December 9, 1947, right, reported the appointment and his handsome, for the time, salary of $10,000 per year.

As a measure responsibility in his jobs with the Civil Aeronautics Board and then as the State Director of the Aeronautics Commission at that time, The Los Angles Times of August 13, 1948 stated, "... that California led all other states in aircraft registration, with a total of more than 10,000 civilian aircraft currently registered, or 10 aircraft registered per 10,000 population, with 18 per 10,000 estimated by 1950. On the 19th, Warren informed the Times that air mail revenue from Los Angeles and San Francisco alone accounted for some 24 per cent of the nation's total air mail business." He also described, "549 landing facilities" in the State of California.

He was also a cheerleader for aviation, as illustrated in the Fresno Bee of February 5, 1948, left. He was prepared with statistics, too, stating that 11% of the 96,300 aircraft registered in the U.S. were based in California (Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, August 13, 1948). According to many articles, he was a sought-after speaker for civic and legislative groups.

W.E. Carey, Ca. 1935 (Source: Web via Kalina)
W.E. Carey, Ca. 1935 (Source: Web via Kalina)

 

 

Other articles of the late 1940s described his roles in initiating air cargo plans for the state's airports, enforcement of airman regulations to limit dangerous flying, and support of aviation in agriculture. For example, in the Fresno Bee of January 30, 1949 he stated, "We feel that crop dusters and seeders should be given all available technical assistance to solve many of the problems which now handicap development of this vital industry."

Carey resigned as the State Director of Aeronautics in California on November 1, 1951. His intention to do so was reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News of August 23, 1951. I do not have information about his activities after this. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me KNOW.

Carey also appeared four times in the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register and once each in the Parks Airport and Pitcairn Field Registers. Carey Flew West on August 20, 1963 at Los Angeles. He carried Transport pilot certificate T969. He rests today at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA. In contrast to his excellent newspaper coverage, Carey has a poor Web presence, with less than a dozen Google hits as of the upload date of this page. He appears in the photograph, right, at the Grand Central Air Terminal ca. 1935.

 

 

 

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 09/15/16 REVISED: 07/01/18