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LONNIE C. FAUNCE
Warner Aircraft Officer
The content of the NASM dossier for pilot Faunce cited in
the left sidebar is sparse. It does, however, contain
his pilot log book. Relevant to our interest in his
activity at the Davis-Monthan Airfield are these three pages from
his pilot logbook (PDF download, 796KB). They document
his flights before and after Tucson, and place the Davis-Monthan
Airfield in the context of his extended journey.
You’ll note on these pages that pilot Faunce visited
Tucson and signed the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register once
on November 12, 1934. In the Register he noted that
he flew Fairchild NC14364 westbound from El Paso, TX to Los
Angeles, CA.
His given name is Lawson A. Faunce. He was born April 29,
1896 and died December 27, 1985. He was for a time
a VP at the Warner Aircraft Co. in Detroit. This
explains his flying in Fairchild 24s. Warner engines
were one of the stock powerplants for that model.
From his pilot
log we can determine that he was on a fairly long,
contiguous voyage beginning at his Home Base in Detroit,
MI on November 2nd and ending with his return to Detroit
on November 24, 1934. In
between he crossed the Midwest visiting key cities. The
chart below shows his itinerary between these dates.
He remained on the west coast from November 13-19, flying
as far north as Oakland, and as far south as San Diego. As
he returned eastbound to Detroit later in November, his pilot
log indicates he landed at Tucson once again on the 21st
and probably stayed overnight. However, he did not
sign the Register during his second visit. He then departed
for El Paso, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Decatur and home.
Lonnie Faunce in 1917, Chanute Field, IL
(Source: Conciatu)
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This long cross-country flight away from home, and his earlier
log entry, “Delivery of plane”, suggests he might
have been on a sales or demonstration
trip for Warner.
A rough tally from his pilot log
shows he flew NC14364 well over 100 hours between his first
mention of it on September 17, 1934, and the last, June 13,
1935. Perhaps he sold it, which would have been a real accomplishment
in the depths of the Great Depression.
---o0o---
On December 27, 2006 I had the pleasure of meeting Doug
Conciatu who allowed me to scan a few images of Davis-Monthan
Airfield pilots and airplanes. Among them are these three
of Lonnie Faunce. The images at left and below are credited
to: The Douglas Conciatu Collection. He also provides Faunce's
vital statistics. Thanks, Doug!
The image, left, shows him at Chanute Field in 1917 as a
member of the military. I have no information on his military
training or experience, or how it might have influenced his
later activities in aviation. If you do, please contact me
using this FORM.
Below is of Lonnie Faunce (L) and an unknown person standing
in front of another Fairchild aircraft. Fairchild could be NC13169, which he flew to Parks Field, East St. Louis, IL on July 20, 1933.
Lonnie Faunce, left, date unknown
(Source: Conciatu)
-and-unkn.jpg) |
Image, below, of Lonnie Faunce (R) with Bill Warner of Warner
Engines. This Waco RNF NC112Y appears in the Register on
July 27, 1933. The airplane is S/N 3292 manufactured in
1930. It is owned by Warner Aircraft Corp., Detroit, MI and
is the Warner factory demonstrator for their Scarab engine
(note advertising on the fuselage). The date and location of the photograph are listed at the bottom left corner of the image as United Air Terminal, Burbank, CA, 1930. This photograph is signed on the right, but the ink is faded and it is difficult to read. It looks something like, "To one big ------ from another...Pop". The airplane is s/n 3292.
Lonnie Faunce (R) and Bill Warner, 1930
(Source: Conciatu)
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Faunce also landed once at Parks Airport, East St. Louis, IL.
---o0o---
Dossier 2.1.86
UPLOADED: 07/19/06 REVISED: 01/05/07, 01/09/07, 03/07/09, 03/03/10, 12/08/10, 07/29/14
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