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This information comes from the listings of Non-Prefixed and Non-Suffixed aircraft reviewed by me in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC.

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THANK YOU!

YOUR PURCHASE OF THESE BOOKS SUPPORTS THE WEB SITES THAT BRING TO YOU THE HISTORY BEHIND OLD AIRFIELD REGISTERS

Your copy of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. Or use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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http://www.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifThe Congress of Ghosts is an anniversary celebration for 2010.  It is an historical biography, that celebrates the 5th year online of www.dmairfield.org and the 10th year of effort on the project dedicated to analyze and exhibit the history embodied in the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ. This book includes over thirty people, aircraft and events that swirled through Tucson between 1925 and 1936. It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders. Order your copy at the link.

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Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register, 1925-1936 is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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FORD 4-AT-B NC7118

FORD 4-AT-B NC7118

NOT MUCH KNOWN ABOUT THIS BIG IRON

This airplane is a Ford 4-AT-B tri-motor (S/N 4-AT-32; ATC # 87) manufactured August 15, 1928 by the Stout Metal Airplane Company (Division of Ford Motor Company), Dearborn, MI.  It came from the factory with three Wright J-5 engines (S/Ns L 9071, R 9070, C 8338) of 220 HP each.

It sold on August 24, 1928 to Maddux Air Lines, Inc., Los Angeles, CA.  NC7118 landed at Tucson twice, on August 28th and on September 27, 1928.  On August 28th, it was flown by Larry G. Fritz, Chief Pilot for Maddux.  He carried four passengers, including Les Rhodda, his mechanic.  They were westbound from Detroit, MI to Los Angeles, CA in what was undoubtedly the maiden voyage for this airplane.    Fritz noted in the Remarks column of the Register, “Good Service”.  For a similar scenario, see the sister ship of this airplane at NC7117. The photo below comes to us from A. Nathan courtesy of site visitor Matt Horstman.

Ford NC7118 On the Ground, El Centro, CA (?), Date Unknown (Source: Nathan)
Ford NC7118 On the Ground, El Centro, CA (?), Date Unknown (Source: Horstman)

The location of the photo is probably El Centro, CA, a regular stop on the Maddux route. Note the palm tree over the vertical stabilizer, and the "Imperial" sign. El Centro is in Imperial County. Below, another photograph of NC7118, courtesy of the San Diego Aerospace Museum Flickr Stream (SDAM). It shows the airplane on exhibit, probably during the 1928 National Air Races centered on Los Angeles that year.

Ford NC7118, Los Angeles, CA, Ca. 1928 (Source: SDAM)

On September 27th, NC7118 was flown to Tucson by Lt. W.S. Tomilson.  He carried ten passengers identified in the Register as the “J.L Maddux party 10”.  They were southeast bound from Los Angeles, CA to Douglas, AZ.  Perhaps this was a trip into Mexico for the boss.

Nearly a year later, on July 15, 1929, the airplane was sold to Curtiss Flying Service of California, Los Angeles, then in August it was transferred to Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, Inc., a Maine Corporation.

According to NASM data, the final disposition states, “Believed to have been washed out at Glendale, Calif. 11/21/30”.  According to an online accident database, it was destroyed at Burbank, CA, because it was, "Blown upside down by strong winds" on Friday, November 21, 1930. No further information.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 04/01/06 REVISED: 12/01/10, 01/01/15
 
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I'm looking for photographs of this airplane to include on this page. If you have one or more you'd like to share, please use this FORM to contact me.

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Art Goebel's Own Story by Art Goebel (edited by G.W. Hyatt) is written in language that expands for us his life as a Golden Age aviation entrepreneur, who used his aviation exploits to build a business around his passion.  Available as a free download at the link.

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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race is available at the link. What was it like to fly from Oakland to Honolulu in a single-engine plane during August 1927? Was the 25,000 dollar prize worth it? Did the resulting fame balance the risk? For the first time ever, this book presents the pilot and navigator's stories written by them within days of their record-setting adventure. Pilot Art Goebel and navigator William V. Davis, Jr. take us with them on the Woolaroc, their orange and blue Travel Air monoplane (NX869) as they enter the hazardous world of Golden Age trans-oceanic air racing.

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Clover Field: The First Century of Aviation in the Golden State. With the 100th anniversary in 2017 of the use of Clover Field as a place to land aircraft in Santa Monica, this book celebrates that use by exploring some of the people and aircraft that made the airport great.

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