Gone North

This aircraft is a Stinson SM-1D Detroiter, manufacturer’s serial number 302. It was manufactured in July, 1928 by Stinson Aircraft Corporation, Northville, MI. Engine information is not recorded on the NASM data sheets. It weighed 3,485 pounds.

This airplane served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it visited the Davis-Monthan Airfield at least six times under that banner. It first landed at Tucson on October 19, 1928 piloted by Roy L. Mitchell carrying passenger B.R. Good. They were inbound from El Paso, TX headed back east again for Tallulah, LA where the airplane was based.

The last five landings at Tucson, during May and October 1930, were piloted by G.C. McGinley. For the May landings he carried two passengers; in October he carried none. These last visits seemed to be relatively local southwest flights to and from Phoenix, Calexico, El Paso and as far west as El Centro, CA. I have no idea why these flights were undertaken. If you do, please let me KNOW.

In 1932, the airplane was exported to Nova Scotia (Service Airways, Ltd. Sydney, NS) via Becker-Turner Flying Service of Jackson, MI. Its registration was changed to CF-AUH in Canada. It exchanged hands four times while in Canada, ultimately being destroyed on 3/2/37 during a hangar fire at Hudson, Ont.

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UPLOADED: 07/09/05 REVISED: