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Registration Number 8461
Sparse Record; Short Life
This aircraft is a Buhl LA-1 S/N 3 (ATC #2-25) "Bull Pup"
built in January, 1931 by Buhl Aircraft Company, Marysville,
MI. It had a 45 HP Szekeley SRO(3RA) engine, S/N 759. It
left the factory as a single-place airplane.
The Buhl company requested an “NX” registration
for the airplane, for reasons not recorded. There is no
record of bill of sale or owner name(s). The record does
state that the airplane was flown to California, based at
Clover Field, Santa Monica, CA. Follow this link and
scroll down a few images to see an picture of this airplane
on the ground at Tucson. Another photograph of the airplane, on skis, is below from Popular Aviation magazine (PA), March, 1931.
Buhl 8461 in Popular Aviation Magazine, March, 1931 (Source: PA)
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The Register tells us that this brand new airplane landed at Tucson on February 1, 1931,
piloted by Roger M. Batchelder. He was westbound from El
Paso, TX to Spokane, WA. He recorded the aircraft registration
in the Register as, simply, “8461” leaving as
a mystery any hint of its experimental nature. He wrote
in the Remarks column of the Register, "Flying
Bull Pup".
The following month after landing at Tucson the airplane suffered an accident at Meacham,
OR on March 29, 1931 and was judged a “washout.” The
registration was cancelled August 15, 1931.
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UPLOADED: 08/05/05 REVISED: 02/11/07, 06/23/14
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