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LOCKHEED VEGA Model 1 NC7162
“TEXACO 2”
This airplane is a Lockheed Vega Model 1 (S/N 12; ATC #49)
manufactured August 30, 1928 by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation,
Burbank,
CA. It left the factory with a Wright Whirlwind
J-5C engine (S/N 9013) of 220 HP. It was a five-place
airplane weighing 2,900 pounds. It was painted red
with white trim and identified with “Texaco 2” painted
on the fuselage.
The image below is a Lockheed advertisement in the Oil and
Gas Journal of January 24, 1929. NC7162 is the top poster
airplane. See also NC7440, the center image.
NC7162 sold for $14,750 on August 29, 1928 to Texas Pipe Line
Company, Houston, TX. It was transferred to the company
through Lockheeds’ Eastern Distributor, Air Associates,
Inc., New York, NY. It was used by Burt E. Hull, head
of Texas Pipe Line Co., for business trips. It was
piloted by Frank
Hawks, Burt Pidcoke or Matt Nieminen. Below, courtesy of Tim Kalina, is a photograph of NC7162 from December, 1929. Mr. Kalina states that the caption of the back of the photograph reads, "F.P. Dodge (left) and B.E. Hull upon their arrival at Lockheed Airport from El Paso, Tex."
NC7162, December, 1929, Burbank, CA (Source: Kalina)
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Next, the airplane was sold to The Texas Company, New York, NY
on September 1, 1930 (adopting the livery in the advertisement, above). Under this owner, NC7162
arrived at Tucson once on October 22, 1930 flown solo by
Harold P. Henning. He
was westbound, arriving from El Paso, TX. It
is not clear from the Register or from the NASM record why
Henning was flying, or the significance of his flight.
Just over a year after its visit to Tucson, NC7162 was sold
to W.A. Sansley, Chicago, IL on November 11, 1931. The
record states that it had a “general
overhaul” by Detroit Aircraft Corp, Detroit, MI in
November 1931. It is not clear if the overhaul was
performed before or after Sansley took title.
A month later, on December 8, 1931, it was sold to Thomas
R. Navin, Chicago,
IL. It was sold less engine and
it had a speed cowl installed. It suffered an accident
in Chicago on February 5, 1932 and was reported as “washed
out.” No further information.
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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 04/11/06 REVISED: 04/20/06, 05/17/07, 09/01/15
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