This aircraft is an International F-17, manufactured by the International Aircraft Corporation, Long Beach, CA on 9/14/1927. It was assigned serial number 22. In its ten-year life, it changed hands 13 times.

It left the factory at 2,250 pounds with a Siemens-Halske engine of 125 HP. The engine was built in Germany in 1927 as a 9-cylinder, R-Type 95222, S/N 12913. The German engine caused it some licensing problems for its first owner. Its first owner was V.E. Speich, 910 East Bay Front, Balboa, CA, who bought the aircraft on September 5, 1927, to be “Entered in Pacific Coast Air Derby.”

Due to its foreign engine it was refused a license on June 18, 1928. At ten months of age, this airplane landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield on July 22, 1928. Its pilot was V.E. Speich. He was carrying a passenger named Lt. Joseph R. Hargrove. They arrived at 8:55 AM, inbound from Miami, FL enroute to Santa Ana, CA. They departed at 9:30 AM. It was unlicensed at this time, because a license wasn’t issued until February 14, 1929.

It was sold on December 30, 1930 to Philip Zlaket, 1735 West 4th St., Santa Ana, CA. It sold twice more in rapid fashion to Stanley L. Shoemaker and Philip I. Brunet, Bishop, CA (February 3, 1931), and to Thomas Yandell, Independence, CA (October 30,1931).

It suffered an accident in Lone Pine, CA on January 25, 1932 in the hands of Thomas Yandell holding a student license. The propeller, left wheel and left wing were damaged. Yandell, for $10, bought one lower left wing panel of an International licensed formerly as C-3265. The airplane was repaired, inspected and returned to service with 142 hours total time on July 19, 1932 by H.L. Hammett (A&E license #4675).

While it was being repaired, it was sold on July 11, 1932 to Edith H. Shoemaker, Lone Pine, CA. It was licensed on 1/1/33 and then sold to, “satisfy a judgement against Edith Shoemaker and C.E. Hammett in the amount of $155.53.” There was no indication if the two Hammetts were related.

It was sold on April 19, 1933 and again on May 26, 1933 (bills of sale for both dates) to Paul M. Rogers, 384 North Center St., Orange, CA. It had Siemens-Halske engine S/N 12887 (128 HP) installed.

Mr. Rogers, between his two purchases, sold it to Ralph L. Warner, Rt. 4, Box 306, Santa Ana, CA on May 5, 1934. About a year later, on March 30, 1935, Mr. Warner sold it to Harold E. Dale and Roland F. Gardner, whose address was given as “Ambassador Hotel”. At this point it was, upon inspection, disapproved for licensing on August 16, 1935.

Despite the unlicensed status, Mr. Dale, with Limited Commercial License #31513, flew the plane from Chicago to Inglewood, CA during July, 1935, and from Inglewood to Redondo Beach during October, 1935.

A year later, on September 1, 1936 a license was issued and the plane was sold to Tom T. Morishita, 412 East 5th St., Los Angeles, CA. It was resold to Richard Leo Gray, 184 LaVerne St., Highland, CA on May 29, 1936. Finally it was sold on January 7, 1937 to Joe Gallardo, 743 Mt. Vernon St., San Bernadino, CA. It was dismantled as of January 8, 1938, with parts offered for sale. Its license was cancelled January 15, 1938, at about ten years of age.

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UPLOADED: June, 2005 REVISED: 10/24/11