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This airplane landed at Tucson once, on Friday, April 12, 1929. It was flown by Major G.E. Brower. Brower was commanding officer of the 1st Pursuit Group, Selfridge Field, MI at that time, but he listed his home base as Dayton, OH, Wright Field. He was eastbound from San Diego, CA, Rockwell Field to Dayton. No purpose was cited for his flight.
Below, a restored Boeing Model 100 that is painted to look like 29-354. This airplane hangs today at the Seattle Museum of Flight (unknown photographer). You can see a photograph of this airplane's cockpit at the Museum link, as well as read a history written about it. Contributor Mike Gerow (right sidebar) says of these images that both are, "...contemporary shots of Boeing 100 (ex-872H), which was restored as a P-12. This airplane is none other than Milo Burcham’s 'Blue Flash', which landed at Tucson January
29, 1934.”
Boeing P-12, 29-354
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Although these photographs are not of the original 29-354, the airplane looks very much like the original.
Boeing P-12, 29-354
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According to Joe Baugher's site, the original 29-353 to 361 were Boeing P-12s, c/n 1100 to 1108. Baugher cites 29-354 being written off September 1, 1931 at Cleveland, OH.
Finally, it is very unusual, when you think about it, that a single Register aircraft (NC872H) survives for almost 80 years only to be restored as another Register aircraft (29-354). Other than the possibility of the Lockheed Vega NC898E, which landed at Tucson back in 1929, and is now painted as Wiley Post's "Winnie Mae", this may be unprecedented. The "Winnie Mae" example may be stretching the point, too, since Post did not identify by registration number the airplane he and Harold Gatty brought to Tucson. It is only a good assumption that it was NC105W, the "Winnie Mae".
And why did the Museum choose to paint it like an Army P-12? It would have been better restored to its former glory as Milo Burcham's "Blue Flash", NC872H, which had a much more significant history than most Army P-12s. This very airplane set a 1933 world upside-down endurance record that lasted almost 60 years, toured the major European airshows in 1935 and won the World Aerobatic Championship at the 1936 National Air Races.
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UPLOADED: 02/03/09 REVISED: 07/05/19
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