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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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MONOCOUPE NC11895

It lived in Pennsylvania with MacCloskey --> Bryan --> Gloster --> Robak and Timer --> ?

This airplane, a Model 113 (S/N 368), landed once at Pitcairn Field, on December 28, 1941 at 3:10PM. The attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor had occurred just three weeks earlier, so the limits on civil aviation were not yet in effect.

Monocoupe NC11895 was flown solo by Joseph O'Donnell who arrived at Pitcairn Field from Jenkintown, PA and identified his destination as Lansdale Airport in Lansdale, PA, a round-robin distance of about 30 miles between the three cities. I have no photographs of NC11895 (if you can help, please let me KNOW). The photograph below is from the Juptner collection, volume 2, page 37, and shows a typical Model 113.

Monocoupe 113, Model Type (Source: Juptner)
Monocoupe 113, Model Type (Source: Juptner)

NC11895 had a straight-forward chain of custody. It was manufactured by the Monocoupe Corporation, Robertson, MO on September 26, 1931 and sold to Helen Mae MacCloskey of Pittsburgh, PA on the same day. Monocoupe V.P./Sales Manager and fellow Register pilot Donald Luscombe signed the bill of sale. It was equipped with a Velie M5 engine of 65HP (S/N 582) turning a Fahlin KariKeen wooden propeller (S/N 376). The Bill of Sale is below.

Monocoupe 113 NC11895 Bill of Sale, September 26, 1931 (Source:Webmaster via FAA)

Note the Bill of Sale identifies the airplane as a "Monocoupe 60." This is an error in nomenclature, since according to Juptner, there was no such entity as a Monocoupe 60 in the manufacturer's stable. Indeed, the engine model clearly identifies NC11895 as a Model 113, the "113" deriving from the number of its Approved Type Certificate.

Regardless, MacCloskey owned the airplane for almost two years until, on June 6, 1933, she sold it to George P. Bryan of Philadelphia, PA. Bryan owned it less than a year it before selling it in April 1934 to Alice C. Gloster of Chalfont, PA.

By the time of Gloster's first inspection report in November 1934, NC11895 had accumulated 611 flight hours. At an inspection a year later, it had flown 687 hours. Her inspection report in February 1937 brought her sobering news: her airplane, now with 827 flight hours, needed the fabric cover replaced.

Three months later, on May May 28, 1937, she was the proud owner of a completely new fabric cover on her airplane. The scope of work included, from the Repair and Alteration form of that date, "Re-covered entire ship. Painted tubing in fuselage. Varnished woodwork in wing. Installed new gas lines. New bolts in wing fittings, landing gear & tail assembly. New Pyralin [a nitrocellulose-based, transparent plastic material] in top of cab. Trammeled bays between drag brace wires. New spring in right landing gear shock strut. Checked all control cables and fittings." Gloster owned NC11895 almost another decade and accumulated a total of 1189 flight hours on the airframe. In February 1946 she sold it to Nickolas Robak and Victor Timer of Philadelphia, PA. Both these men were pilots; Robak was also a certificated mechanic.

It was about midway during Gloster's ownership that O'Donnell flew NC11895 to Willow Grove. It was also about that time that Monocoupe Corporation was taken over by Universal Moulded Products Corporation, whose name appeared on the aircraft's registration documents thenceforth. It seems Robak and Timer abandoned NC11895 on an unidefined date prior to 1949.

After a period of no registration activity, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) queried John Fernsler, Central Airport Flying Service, Camden, NJ on March 2, 1950 as to the whereabouts of NC11895. The report from Fernsler stated, "It is reported that this airplane was destoyed in a garage fire." The registration and airwothiness certificates for NC11895 were canceled by the CAA November 23, 1951.

Dossier 3.1.28.3

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