The FOKKER F-10A NC535E Page of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register Website

View products that support dmairfield.org

OTHER RESOURCES

There is no data for NC535E in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.

---o0o---

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 with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. Or use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

---o0o---

The Congress of Ghosts 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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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 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---

Art Goebel's Own Story 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---

FOKKER F-10A NC535E

NC535E (S/N 1035 ) landed at Tucson three times, each flight piloted by Lake Littlejohn. His first visit, on Sunday August 25, 1929, caused him to enter in the remarks column of the Register, "Elevation marker exceptional." Littlejohn was to become a Department of Commerce inspector in the late 30s. Based at Los Angeles, CA, Littlejohn and his seven unidentified passengers were eastbound from Los Angeles to El Paso, TX.

About six weeks later he signed the Register again on Tuesday October 8, 1929. This time he carried Byron Erkenbrecker, Jr. as his sole passenger. They were southeastbound from Los Angeles to Douglas, AZ.

Littlejohn had about an 18-month hiatus in his visits to Tucson, signing the Register next on Saturday April 4, 1931. Still based at Los Angeles, he carried Andy Anderson as his sole passenger. They were westbound from El Paso to Los Angeles. No reason was given for any of Littlejohn's flights with NC535E.

Below, an image of NC535E from this source. We see this large airplane in "Rio Grande" livery, posed with a group of well-dressed passengers.

**NC535E, Date & Location Unknown**

Below, shared by site visitor Michael Boss, is another photograph of NC535E in Rio Grande livery. The photo is from the San Diego Aerospace Museum online stream. Standing in front of the airplane, at center, is Register pilot Pancho Barnes. The son and daughter of Anthony C. Luz identify their father as the mechanic standing on the ladder. Does anyone RECOGNIZE any of the others? The engines appear to be undergoing maintenance.

**NC535E, Date & Location Unknown** (Source: SDAM via Boss)

*The Van Nuys News*, April 12, 1929

Rio Grande was an oil company. The company purchased and flew the airplane for business. The news article, right, from The Van Nuys News of April 12, 1929, tells of the purchase of NC535E. $80,000 was a huge sum to pay for an aircraft of the era, but this one is described as being fitted with every luxury. Metropolitan Airport was one of the major Los Angeles-area airfields of the Golden Age.

To put things in perspective, two visits to Tucson by 535E occurred before the market Crash that took place on Black Thursday (October 24, 1929), followed by Black Monday and Tuesday (October 28 and October 29, 1929). We can wonder if the 18-month hiatus until the third Tucson landing had anything to do with the Crash.

As happens many times among people of the Register, passenger Lynn Lockhart, who was also an officer with Rio Grande Oil (last paragraph in the article), shows up elsewhere flying with Register pilot Eddie Stinson in an unidentified Stinson aircraft, and in Stinson NC209W with pilot Irving Kravitz. Perhaps the people shown in the image above are some of those listed in the news article at right. Does anyone KNOW?

Rio Grande sponsored a radio crime drama series, from November 29, 1933 to September 8, 1939, titled "Calling All Cars". This link takes you to a site that describes the drama programs and shows a Rio Grande Petroleum Company poster advertising the series.

---o0o---

UPLOADED: 11/29/08 REVISED: 11/30/08, 09/28/11 09/25/20

YOU CAN HELP

I'm looking for photographs of this airplane, of pilot Littlejohn, and for information about Littlejohn to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please use this FORM to contact me.

---o0o---

Thanks to Mike Gerow for identifying the Rio Grande news article and the Web link.

---o0o---

Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race is available at the link. What was it like to fly from Oakland to Honolulu in a single-engine plane during August 1927? Was the 25,000 dollar prize worth it? Did the resulting fame balance the risk? For the first time ever, this book presents the pilot and navigator's stories written by them within days of their record-setting adventure. Pilot Art Goebel and navigator William V. Davis, Jr. take us with them on the Woolaroc, their orange and blue Travel Air monoplane (NX869) as they enter the hazardous world of Golden Age trans-oceanic air racing.

---o0o---

Clover Field: The First Century of Aviation in the Golden State. 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.

---o0o---

What's New on the Site?	Contact Us \| Credits \| Copyright © 2008 Delta Mike Airfield, Inc. This website is best enjoyed in a 1024 x 768 screen resolution. Web design by The Web Professional, Inc
Home \| The Register \| People \| Places \| Airplanes \| Events \| Cultural \| Motion Pictures \| Friends \| Non-Profit Status Products & Services \| References \| Publications \| Image Collections \| Guest Editors \| Press Coverage