|
Registration Number NC6019
Trainer For A Legend Among Female Pilots
This aircraft is a Travel Air 2000, S/N 548 (ATC #30), manufactured
on May 29, 1928 by the Travel Air Manufacturing Co., Wichita, KS.
It came with a 90 HP Curtiss OX-5 engine, S/N 3310. It was
purchased for $3,082 on 5/29 by H.C. Lippiatt of Hollywood,
CA, a dealer in Travel Air planes.
We first see NC6019 when it arrived at Tucson from Wichita
enroute west to Clover
Field, Santa Monica, CA on June 4, 1928. It was piloted by Frank
W. Bireley. It was probably on its maiden flight from the factory.
On June 7, 1928 Lippiatt sold it to Stanley T. Robinson of Pasadena,
CA.
On June 11, 1928 Robinson sold it to Ben Catlin of Monrovia, CA
to be housed at Ross Field, Arcadia, CA. (Anyone have photos
or information about Ross Field?) Here is where the airplane
becomes interesting to us. Ben Catlin was a flight instructor
and this is the Travel Air Florence
Lowe “Pancho” Barnes learned to fly in that
summer.
On November 23, 1928, Mr. Catlin sold the airplane to James C. Robson
of Pasadena, CA. It was based at Mission
Airport, San Gabriel, CA. The airplane was involved in an accident in
Chandler, AZ on May 30, 1930 (no damage described; no pilot identified).
Mr. Robson was reported deceased
as of April 2, 1932. Responses to government mail queries were returned “unclaimed”,
and the registration was cancelled July 3, 1930.
---o0o---
UPLOADED: 7/2/05 REVISED: 09/12/11, 07/09/12
|
