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Registration Number 7671
Winch
This aircraft is a Ryan B-1 Brougham, S/N 163. It derives
from the same lineage as the “Spirit of St. Louis”,
and was built the following year. The B.F. Mahoney Aircraft
Co., San Diego, CA manufactured it on August 17, 1928. It was equipped
with a 220 HP Wright J-5A Whirlwind engine, S/N B-9077. As
a five-place aircraft, it weighed 3,300 pounds.
We find 7671 at Tucson at 10:30AM on October 25, 1928 piloted solo
by William A. Monday. He was headed east from San Diego, CA.
He departed at 11:30AM for St. Louis, MO, probably on its
initial flight from the factory.
It sold for $12,500 on November 5, 1928 to Harry P. Williams through
Menefee Airways, Inc. of Patterson, LA. Over the next five
years or so it had two engine changes: on December 27, 1929 to Wright
J-5 S/N B-8929, and on July 14, 1931 to Wright J-5 S/N B-9321. It
was re-covered in May, 1931.
On February 24, 1932 it was cited as, “practically in storage
– flown very little.” It had accumulated 402 flight
hours. A year later, on February 2, 1933, the airplane transferred to
the Wedell-Williams Air Service Corp., New Orleans, LA. It
must not have been flown much, because almost two years later,
on January 24, 1934, it was cited as having accumulated 406:14 flight
hours. It had one wheel off and the wing fabric was in need
of repair. It was recorded as “in storage” as
of February 1, 1935.
It sold on August 25, 1936 to Aubrey Volney Muzzy of Overton, TX.
Repairs were performed to the wing as of September 3, 1936 and Muzzy
installed, “a motor-driven winch to lift objects from
ground to airplane. Experimenting with cable to lift a man
off the ground and as of 3/21/37 successfully picked up wts.
as much as 160#.” We assume (and hope) this lifting
was performed while the airplane was on the ground and parked,
as in an air ambulance or cargo loading situation.
Between 572:20 and 583:00 flight hours, the airplane sold
three more times, remaining in Texas. With no further information
forthcoming, the registration was cancelled April 1, 1941 on the
cusp of WWII.
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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 07/26/05 REVISED: 10/18/11
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