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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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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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NORTHROP ALPHA 2 NC933Y

NORTHROP ALPHA 2 NC933Y

FROM MAIL PLANE TO HONG KONG

Northrop Alpha 2, NC933Y
Northrop Alpha 2, NC933Y

 

This airplane is a Northrop Alpha 2 (S/N 5; ATC# 381) manufactured November 10, 1930 by Northrop Aircraft Corporation, United Airport, Burbank, CA.  It left the factory with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp SC engine (S/N 3198) of 425 HP.  It was a seven-place airplane weighing 4,500 pounds gross.  It was painted “T.W.A. #4”.  It is one of two Northrop Alphas that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield during the period of the Register.  The other is NC11Y.

Image, left, by Larry Grossman.

We find NC933Y descending into Tucson on April 3, 1931 flown solo by Larry G. Fritz.  He was westbound from Tulsa, OK to Los Angeles, CA.  Fritz was vice-president in charge of operations for Safeway Air Lines, 1929-31.  But there was no indication on the NASM record that NC933Y ever flew for Safeway.  I do not know why Fritz was flying the airplane on this day.  Anyone know?

Later the same month, on April 13, 1931, NC933Y sold to Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc., New York, NY.  According to the NASM record, on April 14, 1931 it was converted to Model 3 configuration (three-place) under ATC Gr. 2-335.  It was flown on TWA mail routes out of the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT) from 1931-1935. Please direct your browser to the link to learn about the airplane's traffic at GCAT. Two early principals of TWA were our own Davis-Monthan pilots Jack Frye and Paul Richter.

NC933Y led a hard life. It suffered an accident at Winslow, AZ on May 27, 1931 and a new left wing and,  “extensive repairs to underside” were performed at the Lockheed factory.  As of August 18, 1931 it was converted at the factory to Model 4 configuration (new “trousered” landing gear) under ATC #451.

It suffered another accident at Glendale, CA on January 30, 1932 that required a new wing and landing gear.  It must quickly have been repaired, because it suffered another accident at Leupp, AZ on February 19, 1932.  The fix involved another new wing and landing gear and, “extensive fuselage repairs.”

As of May 17, 1932 NC933Y was converted to Alpha 4A configuration (single-place) under ATC #461.  It was still being flown by TWA.  On November 29, 1933 it suffered yet a fourth accident at Indianapolis, IN.  The fuselage was buckled at the rear.

It transferred to Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. (a new company) on December 27, 1934.  TWA sold it on July 22, 1935 to James W. Fisher, living in Hong Kong, China.  Export certificate # E-1492 was issued July 5, 1935.  It was delivered to Seattle for export on July 20, 1935 with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp SC1 engine of 450HP installed.  It was exported to China via Hong Kong during July for use by the Chinese Nationalist Government.  No further information.

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UPLOADED: 06/25/06 REVISED: 06/08/09, 04/24/18
 
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I'm looking for actual 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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