FLOYD HAROLD MUNCIE

Floyd Muncie was identified three times in the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) Register. I'm certain that he landed more times, but the tower Operators who kept the Register seldom entered pilot names. Muncie was a pilot for Century Pacific Ltd., which operated one of the major routes between San Diego-Los Angeles-San Francisco for a brief period from 1931-32. The Century Stinson fleet showed up with hundreds of landings in the Register.

Muncie (you might find his name spelled Muncy) was born November 22, 1894 in Graysville, IN. The 1900 U.S. Census, his first, placed him living with his father, George (33; 1867–1943), mother, Lucetta (31; 1868–1933), brother Clarence (10; 1889–1929) and sister Florence (7). His father's occupation was coded as "General salesman."

The 1910 Census placed him living at age 15 in Turman, IN with his parents, brother Clarence and two sisters, Florence and Mildred (9 months). On June 5, 1917, at age 22, he registered for the draft during WWI. His registration card is below.

F.H. Muncie, 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." Some things change; some things remain the same. I found no Census information for 1920, perhaps because he was in the military. His grave marker, below, identified him as a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Service during WWI.

Miami (OK) Daily News-Record, March 5, 1936 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

The 1930 Census placed him at age 35 living at 1338 South Florence Avenue, Tulsa, OK with his wife, Irene (nee: Phillips, 31; 1898-1983), and sister-in-law, Marsille [sic] (18). Their address today at Google Earth shows a large, brick home that could be 1930s vintage. They rented it for $50 per month. Muncie's occupation was coded as "Pilot" in "Aviation."

Muncie first appeared in the GCAT Register on Tuesday, August 21, 1931 at 2:16PM. He flew NC10847, one of the large, trimotor, single-pilot Stinson Model SM-6000-B, ten-passenger transports operated by Century Pacific. The airplane was S/N 5046. His passenger load was not recorded. However, his destination was identified as San Francisco.

His second appearance in the Register was on Friday, January 1, 1932 at 9:40AM. He flew another Century Stinson, NC10840 (S/N 5041). He carried three unidentified passengers. The airplane was Flight #20 to San Diego. The tower Operator noted that their destination after San Diego was Phoenix, AZ. If you scroll down the page at the link, you'll find a letter that listed Muncie among the pilots flying for Century Pacific Ltd. as of February 25, 1932.

His final appearance in the Register was on Sunday, January 3, 1932 at 9:05AM. This time he flew Stinson NC10843 (S/N 5042). The flight number and itinerary were the same as the flight above. This time, however, his passenger load was ten people, the maximum load permitted for the model SM-6000-SM Stinson.

You'll find, below, that he wasn't in California very long. Century Pacific ceased operations and was folded into American Airlines in April 1932. In fact, both the 1928 and 1938 city directories for Fort Smith, AR listed him and Irene living there. He was listed as a "Pilot" in both directories. These directories bracket his brief work with Century Pacific at GCAT.

Stillwell (OK) Standard-Sentinel, October 15, 1937 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

His work at Fort Smith was as manager of the local airport. I found only two news articles citing Muncie, and they both referred to his work at the Fort Smith airport.

At left, from the Miami (OK) Daily News-Record, March 5, 1936, Muncie identified the registration number of an airplane that crashed after leaving Fort Smith for Houston, TX. The airplane, NC15486, was not a Register craft. At right, from the Stillwell (OK) Standard-Sentinel, October 15, 1937, he was scheduled to take passengers for rides in an unidentified Command-Aire.

The 1940 Census placed him at 1615 East 12th Street, Tulsa, OK. He lived with Irene and Mildred Detrick, 30, his sister. His occupation was coded as "Commercial Pilot" in "Aviation." His salary was $3,000 per year, a very good salary for the time. I found no record that he and Irene ever had children.

During WWII, most able men of a certain age were registered for the draft. Muncie, at age 47, was re-registered on April 27, 1942. His registration form is below. He worked for the Carter Oil Company, but I don't know in what capacity. I don't know if he had any role in the military.

 

F.H. Muncie, WWII Draft Registration, April 27, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)

 

Floyd Muncie, Grave Marker, 1966 (Source: findagrave.com)

 

All in all, Muncie has a sparse Web presence. Floyd Muncie flew West August 19, 1966 from Tulsa, age 71. He carried Transport pilot certificate T956. His gravemarker from Tulsa is at right. I have no information about his life through 1966; what he did for fun. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me KNOW.

Muncie was also logged once in the Peterson Field Register, Colorado Springs, CO on Wednesday, July 19, 1939 at 1:15PM. He flew NC15722, a Waco DQC-6 (S/N 4396). He was identified as the owner of the airplane. He carried one unidentified passenger on a round-robin to Tulsa, OK.

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