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 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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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BUTLER BLACKHAWK NC730K

 

We find NC730K at Santa Monica on Friday, August 16, 1929 at 10:00AM. It was inbound from Kansas City, MO with Truman Wadlow at the controls. The Blackhawk was a rare airplane, with probably less than twenty ever made.

 

All totaled, NC730K landed five times at airfields represented by Registers celebrated by Delta Mike Airfield, Inc. Besides its single landing at Clover Field, it landed twice at the Davis Monthan Airfield and twice at Parks Field. It has a full description at the Davis Monthan Web site, including an interesting exhibition photograph. Besides Wadlow, the only other pilot to fly NC730K to a Register landing was Jim Granger, based at Santa Monica, who flew the airplane for its owner, Hollywood cowboy actor "Hoot" Gibson. Below, courtesy of site visitor F. Merithew, is a nice starboard profile of NC730K. It wears what appears to be a race number, 86, on the fuselage. Pushed in PhotoShop, the registration number is readable on the rudder.

 

Butler Blackhawk NC730K, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Merithew)

 

The writing on the fuselage is clearly visible in the original photo. Under the cockpit window is painted "'Hoot' Gibson. The three lines below that read, "Owner-Hoot Gibson;" "Sponsor-Spencer Tracy," and "Pilot-Jim Granger."

 

Granger was a distributor for Blackhawk aircraft. He sold NC730K to Gibson for his private use. Another interesting feature of the Blackhawk was that it had both left- and right-hand throttles, so the pilot could fly with either hand. I suppose this could serve as a safety measure, too. If the rigging was done appropriately, in the event one throttle cable broke the redundant one could take over. A metal cover for the front passenger cockpit could increase cruising speed by 5 MPH when installed, as it is in this photograph. Independent wheel brakes were standard, even though the airplane was equipped with a tail skid.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 06/13/13 REVISED: 09/18/15