|
Registration Number NC8015
Flown By A Budding Entrepreneur South
Of The Border
This aircraft was a Fokker Universal, S/N 435 (ATC #9), manufactured
in July 1928 by the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, Teterboro
Airport, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. It left the factory with a
200 HP Wright J-5A engine, S/N 8947. It sold 8/7/28 to California
Airways, Inc. of Los Angeles, and on 10/4/29 to Pacific Finance
Corp. of Los Angeles.
It sold again on 3/3/31 to C.M. Walker, but was repossessed
by Pacific Finance, due to Walker being in jail on a federal
offense. It again sold to William M. Schoenfeldt of Los Angeles
on 3/3/31 (probably with a note to Pacific Finance, see below).
During Schoenfeldt’s stewardship, the airplane landed
at the Davis-Monthan Airfield on 9/21/31 piloted by barnstormer
C.N. Shelton.
Shelton became a major force in Central and South American
transport aviation during his later career.
Shelton carried three passengers on his visit to Tucson,
including Ken Poe, a mechanic. Although the final destination
for the airplane was stated as Bogota, Colombia, it is fairly
clear from a book written about Shelton (Schleit's book, referred
to at the left) , that he, the airplane and his passengers
wound up in Costa Rica.
The airplane returned briefly to the U.S. Ultimately, the
Fokker was repossessed on 1/19/32 by W.R. Webb of Los Angeles,
who had purchased the note from Pacific Finance. On 2/20/32,
the airplane was sold to R.F. Schlutsmeyer of Los Angeles.
The record notes that both Schoenfeldt and Schlutsmeyer were
operating in Costa Rica in 1932. The final disposition of
the airplane is unknown, the record simply stating, “Probably
flown to Costa Rica.” Indeed it was.
UPLOADED: 6/27/05 REVISED:
|
