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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 (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
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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Very readable volumes about the Grand Central Air Terminal are these books:
Underwood, John. 1984. Madcaps, Millionaires and 'Mose'. Heritage Press, Glendale, CA. 144pp.
And...
Underwood, John. 2007. Grand Central Air Terminal. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, SC. 127pp.
Another, specifically about Leonard, is:
Martin, Barry S. 2011. Forgotten Aviator: The Adventures of Royal Leonard. Dog Ear Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. 245pp.
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YOU CAN HELP
I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Leonard and his airplanes to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.
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ROYAL S. LEONARD
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Royal Leonard landed five times during 1930-31 at the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT). The tower Operator, A.J. Lygum, spelled his name as "Lenord" on a couple of occasions. Regardless, his first landing was on Sunday, December 21, 1930 at 9:01AM. He flew the Fokker F-10 identified as NC5170. He identified his destination as San Francisco, CA. The owner of the airplane was recorded in the Register as "T.W.A. Incorporated." Photograph, left, is the cover of the book referenced in the left sidebar.
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He is recorded in the Register four more times. He flew the Ford trimotor NC9644 over the same itinerary, as well as Ford NC8413 and the Fokker F-32 NC333N. All these airplanes were prolific visitors to GCAT and they were flown by other T.W.A. pilots, e.g. Eddie Bellande, Dutch Holloway and George Rice. At the time of all these landings, Leonard was employed by TWA. His career through the next decade would be varied and important.
In the mid-1930s he was an air racer. The Sheboygan (WI) Press of August 30, 1935 and The New York Times of August 31, 1935 above, right, reported Leonard enroute. Eventually he was ground because of a broken oil line during the Bendix Race event from California to Cleveland, OH.
The New York TImes of September 2, 1935 reported that he was scheduled to enter the Thompson Trophy race flying a Gee Bee powered by a Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine of 1,690 cubic inch displacement. The Trophy was won by Register pilot Harold Neumann that year.
From TWA and air racing, Leonard was tapped to fly for the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC). The exact dates vary depending upon which source is examined. He did so roughly from at least December, 1936 (the book review, below, cites 1935) to October, 1943. His duty was not without hazard, as illustrated in The New York Times, December 17, 1938, below.
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Leonard and fellow Register pilot Hugh Leslie Woods, were pilots for CNAC. Please direct your browser to Woods' link to learn about his experiences with CNAC. Leonard's experiences were captured in a book he authored, entitled "I Flew for China." A book review, below, appeared in The New York Times, November 1, 1942.
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The June 23, 1962 issue of The New York Times, The Toledo (OH) Blade and the Los Angeles Times, below, all reported on Leonard's untimely death at age 57 on June 21, 1962.
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Two online sources cite names for Leonard's wife. One, from the Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1933 identifies her as Grace M. Cooper, age 21 (Leonard is 27). A link to a CNAC site identifies her in a news clipping from the Hong Kong Sunday Herald, September 18, 1938 as the former Miss Maxine Thayer. Leonard married Maxine Thayer on September 17, 1938 in China. The obituary, above, right, identifies her as "Geraldine." He married Jerrie (Geraldine) Johnson November 2, 1957.
Until his death, Leonard was a member of the OX-5 Club. Below, a retrospective article appeared in the OX5 News, April, 2010.
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