To Mexico And Back, And Junked About 1940

This aircraft was a Fleet Husky 1 with original manufacturer’s serial number 22. The Fleet Aircraft Company, Buffalo, NY built it on March 23, 1929. It left the factory at 1,580 lbs., with a 110 HP Warner Scarab engine S/N 179. It was a two-passenger airplane. See its sister ships, NC8601 and NC8602.

It sold on March 26, 1929 via United Aviation Corp. to Grey Goose Airlines, Inc., Chicago, IL for, “cross country/passenger service/aviation school.” A few months later the stock market crashed and the airplane went through six owners through 1931, taking up residence for about a year in Mexico (no change in country of registration, however). Below is a photograph of the airplane taken from the motion picture film linked below. The registration number is not visible, but it is NC8610, which can be clearly identified in the film.

Fleet NC8610 from "Clipped Wings," 1936 (Source: Silvers)

Thanks to site visitor B. Silvers for finding NC8610 in the film.

On March 3, 1932 it sold to A. Harold Bromley who held joint addresses in Mexico and Glendale, CA. We find NC8610 at Tucson on May 3, 1932 flown solo by Harold Bromley. He was westbound from El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA.

Bromley sold the airplane to Willard F. Hellman on May 4, 1932. See Hellman mentioned in Bromley's link as a manufacturer of long-range radio communications equipment used during one of Bromley's trans-Pacific attempts.

The airplane then went to Gerard F. Vultee of Los Angeles, CA on November 9, 1932. ASIDE: Vultee was an aircraft manufacturer. See this link for information and pictures of Gerard Vultee and aircraft of his manufacture.

Through Vultee’s custody, the airplane underwent several modifications, including reinforcement of the tubing structure, a new engine mount, installation of Goodyear air wheels, and a new factory-built belly tank and fuel system. The airplane had accumulated 350:40 flight hours when he bought it, and he sold it with 598:18 hours on April 7, 1936 to Milford L. Bailey of Los Angeles, CA.

Probably under Bailey's ownership, the airplane appeared in a film, "Clipped Wings," which was made in 1936. At the link (YouTube video) you can watch the entire public domain film. NC8610 appears taxiing on the ground at 49 minutes and 47 seconds into the film. It continues to be visible, although fleetingly (pun unintended), throughout the aerial sequences that follow. If you just want to see the taxi sequence, click the link to the motion pictures page and scroll down to find "NC8610." Click on that to see the clip. The clip is 14 seconds long and shows the airplane on a takeoff roll away from the camera.

NC8610 sold four more times, finally owned by John Stephen Sherlock of Lancaster, CA on Novermber 28, 1939 with a total of 1067:43 flight hours. There is notation in the record that the airplane was, “junked about 1940”. The registration was cancelled October 3, 1947.

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UPLOADED: 08/05/05 REVISED: 03/11/06