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 (available in paperback) 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
---o0o---
The Congress of Ghosts (available as Kindle Edition 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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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.
---o0o---
Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register, 1925-1936 (available in paperback) 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.
---o0o---
Art Goebel's Own Story (available as free PDF download) 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.
---o0o---
Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race (available as Kindle Edition 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.
---o0o---
Clover Field: The first Century of Aviation in the Golden State (available in paperback & Kindle Edition) 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.
---o0o---
OTHER RESOURCES
Some of this information comes from the listings of Non-Prefixed and Non-Suffixed aircraft reviewed by me in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.
---o0o---
YOU CAN HELP
I'm looking for information and photographs of this airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.
---o0o---
SPONSORED LINKS
HELP KEEP THESE WEB SITES ONLINE
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
You may NOW donate via PAYPAL by clicking the "Donate" icon below and using your credit card. You may use your card or your PAYPAL account. You are not required to have a PAYPAL account to donate.
When your donation clears the PAYPAL system, a certified receipt from Delta Mike Airfield, Inc. will be emailed to you for your tax purposes.
---o0o---
specific to this page
TRAVEL AIR A-6000-A NC9973
This airplane was a Travel Air model A-6000-A, manufactured July 19, 1929 by the Travel Air Company in Wichita, KS. The manufacturer's serial number was 1094. It left the factory with a Pratt & Whitney engine of 400HP, S/N 1530. It was a six-place airplane of 5,250 pounds gross weight. It sold on July 19, 1929 to John Burnham of Pasadena, CA. The price a the factory field was $18,000. All totaled, 21 of this model were built.
It appears in our Registers at least 35 times. It was piloted by Howard H. Batt about 30 times to the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), and once to Clover Field, Santa Monica, CA, flown by well-known Mexican pilot Francisco Sarabia (see below).
According the the NASM records cited in the left sidebar, NC9973 was operated and relicensed normally through 1932. At 372 flight hours, on June 20, 1932, it was disapproved on inspection because of, "some flightex fabric 'rotten'" and the owner was also asked to change the prop hub and provide seat belts for passengers. Neither of these requests were complied with, leading to the disapproval. Compliance must have occurred quickly, because on August 4, 1932 it was licensed "NR" -- restricted -- for motion picture work only. The ower of record was still John Burnham. I have no information about how NC9973 was used in motion pictures. However, given that pilot Batt was identified as onetime head of the Association of Motion Picture Pilots, it could be conjectured that he used it for Association business.
NC9973 was sold on August 6, 1934 to Frederick H. Kormann of Los Angeles, CA for $1,900. Kormann owned Kormann Aero-Safety Appliance, Inc., which, during the late 1930s, earned several patents for aerial navigation and autopilot devices. It is not clear from the NASM record if the airplane was used as a testbed or for transport of these devices or their prototypes. On April 11, 1936 NC9973 was approved for service with 650:45 flight hours. It was re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Wasp C engine S/N 1114.
Kormann transferred the airplane to aircraft broker and Davis-Monthan Airfield Register pilot Charles H. Babb of Glendale, CA on April 21, 1936. It appears that Babb had sold the airplane on April 11th to Francisco Sarabia representing Transportes Aereos de Chiapas in Chiapas, Mexico. About a month before the transfer, we find NC9973 at Clover Field piloted by Sarabia on Tuesday, March 10, 1936 at 11:45AM. Chronologically, we can see Sarabia testing the airplane for Transportes Aereos de Chiapas and having Kormann assign Babb to facilitate the transfer of the airplane in April.
The NASM record notes simply that NC9973 was, "Sold into Mexico." No further information.
---o0o---
SPONSORED LINKS
THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 06/16/14 REVISED: