GOLDEN EAGLE CHIEF 522

BOBBI TROUT”S AIRPLANE

This airplane is a Golden Eagle Chief (S/N C-801) manufactured March 9, 1929 by the R.O. Bone Company, Inglewood, CA (R.O. Bone, President; W.G. Mead, VP).  It left the factory with a Le Blond 7-cylinder radial engine (S/N 7 D-366) of 90 HP.   It was a two-place airplane.  It was manufactured “for pleasure and demonstration”.

The Golden Eagle landed twice at Tucson, on March 11th and March 25, 1929.  On the 11th it was flown by Bobbi Trout, carrying W.G. Mead as passenger.  They were eastbound from Los Angeles, CA to El Paso, TX.  This undated news article, right, captures them during their voyage. The spelling of her name is variously "Bobby", "Bobbie" or "Bobbi". She used Bobbi in later years.

They must have completed their joint, two-week trip promptly.  The second landing on the 25th was flown by W.G. Mead solo, and he was headed back eastbound from San Diego, CA to San Antonio, TX.

Things were happening fast for this airplane.  Subsequently, by wire on March 30, 1929, an application for a “NX” registration was submitted by Golden Eagle Aircraft Corporation, successors to R.O. Bone Company.  The airplane was sold to Golden Eagle Corp. and the bill of sale was dated April 18, 1929.  The NX license was issued on May 3, 1929 to expire in November.

Alas, it did not expire.  It suffered an accident in Los Angeles on July 8, 1929.  Pilot Eddie Martin (signed the Register), transport license #2507, was uninjured.  The airplane was “washed out” and the registration was cancelled July 25, 1929.  No further information.

UPLOADED: 04/09/06 REVISED: