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Registration Number NC5850
An Eastern Airplane Ventures West
This aircraft was a Waco GXE with original manufacturer’s
serial number 1578. The Advance Aircraft Company, Troy, OH built it in April 1928. It left the factory at 2,025 lbs.,
with a 90 HP Curtiss OX-5 engine S/N 3792.
It was sold later in the month to Ludington Philadelphia
Flying Service at the Philadelphia Airport, Philadelphia,
PA. Ludington sold it to John F. Casey of Red Bank, NJ on
June 27, 1928 for $2,885, less 12% discount. Casey sold it to Roland
Chilton (a British citizen) of Keyport, NJ on July 2, 1928 for $3,196,
including 10 hours of dual instruction worth $50.
It is fairly clear that this airplane landed twice at Tucson, although the pilot seems to have misidentified it the first times he visited. On Tuesday, September 4,1928, pilot Leo Terletzky landed flying "5805", switching the final two digits. He carried owner Roland Chilton as his single passenger. Based in Keyport/Red Bank, NJ, they were westbound from Lordsburg, NM to Los Angeles, CA. Given the date, they could have been headed for the National Air Races held at Los Angeles September 8th-16th that year.
NC5850 arrived at Tucson two months later on Friday, September 21, 1928
piloted again by Terletzky. Again he carried owner Roland Chilton
as passenger. They were on their way from Los Angeles to El
Paso. They must have been in a hurry, because their turnaround
time was 12 minutes.
Chilton sold the airplane to Airview Flying Service of Red
Bank, NJ on April 13, 1929 with 200 hours total flight time.
Airview turned it over to Kermit Wesslock and Thomas Forsythe
of Toms River, NJ on May 13, 1929.
Pilot Forsythe (cited in the NASM record as having no license) and Wesslock were both seriously
injured at Red Bank, NJ on June 11, 1929 due to, “probable
engine failure – plane stalled and spun in.” Registration
cancelled June 28, 1929.
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THIS PAGE UPLOADED:6/27/05 REVISED: 12/11/12, 06/11/23
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