SUNK, REVIVED FOR A HARD LIFE, THEN SOLD INTO MEXICO

This airplane is a Loening C-2C biplane amphibian (S/N 219; ATC #90), known as the Air Yacht. It was manufactured by the Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corporation, New York, NY during February-March 1929. It left the factory with a Wright Cyclone engine (S/N 9614) of 540HP (other sources say 525HP). It was an eight-place airplane weighing 6,250 pounds gross. That it was of the C-2C series suggests it may have been modified to a 9-passenger model. When it landed at Tucson, it carried the name "Miss True Story" on its fuselage.

NC9772 was sold to Macfadden Publications, Inc. of New York, NY on March 15, 1929, "for transportation of executives." Bernarr Macfadden, the eccentric owner of the company, may have responded to an advertisement similar to the one below for a different model from January, 1930.

Advertisement for Loening (Keystone) Amphibian, January, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

On May 5, 1929 Mrs. Cora Rogles of Oneonta, NY reported that the airplane landed on her farm enroute Detroit to New York City. The pilot had lost his map and it was so foggy he could not determine direction. He was on the farm about two hours and crossed a meadow twice causing damage. Mrs. Rogles reported the incident to the NY State Police.

On October 21, 1929 NC9772 suffered an accident at Croton, NY, about 25 miles north from New York City on the east side of the Hudson River. The pilot suffered no injuries, but the five passengers endured minor cuts and bruises. The front of the pontoon was cut off by the propeller, engine mounts buckled and both left wings were damaged. The airplane sank. The Hudson is tidal and brackish at Croton, which doesn't bode well for metal aircraft.

On October 26, 1929 the airplane was sold to the Westchester Airport Corporation "as is" for $5,000. It was rebuilt by Grumman as of as of May 13, 1930 with new wings and hull repair. We assume and hope Grumman paid fine attention to corrosion control after its dunking in salt water.

Below, courtesy of site visitor Fred Hennig, is a photograph of NC9772 taken on Lake Minoqua, WI. The photographer was Mr. Hennig's paternal grandmother. She had her own studio and also made postcards of local scenes.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

Mr. Hennig says about the photograph that it was, "... taken during June-August 1930. It was transporting passengers to and from from the Chicago area to Yesheck's Crawling Stone Lodge." Although the tail number is clear, upon magnification the writing above the number is indecipherable in the original. He says it appears to be something like "Queen of the Lake." 

A unique aspect of his grandmother's photographs is the following sequence that shows the airplane landing, taxiing and transitioning passengers. The first view shows the airplane approaching shore after landing. Note in the foreground the out-of-focus, tipped up surface of a vintage outboard motor.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

The second view shows a close approach broadside to the shore. There is no dock. Another (the same?) tipped up outboard engine is at lower right.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

The third view shows passengers leaving or entering the airplane. A small boat is pulled alongside to keep their feet dry (you can see the bow of the boat pointing aft under the lower port wing.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

The view below shows a child standing by the passenger door speaking with an amused passenger. The woman facing backwards in the seat has on a comfortable dress and close-fitting hat, fashionable during the early 1930s. The pilot, in helmet and goggles, his head turned around with his arm on the wing strut, waits patiently for the door to be closed before starting the engine.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

We are grateful to Mrs. Hennig for her photo skills and for enabling us many years later to enjoy this intimate view of informal passenger operations during the Golden Age. Below, a final image from her of the empty airplane at anchor.

NC9772, Lake Minoqua, WI, Fall, 1930 (Source: Hennig)

NC9772 was sold in July to Ray P. Applegate of Lake Geneva, WI. It must have been damaged soon thereafter, because on October 13, 1930 Applegate reported the propeller broken and motor damaged, and that the airplane was in storage at Curtiss-Wright Airport, Glenview, IL since late August 1930.

It was purchased on April 9, 1931 by Philip K. Wrigley of Chicago. Mr. Wrigley bought the airplane for Wilmington-Catalina Air Line, Ltd. (W-C), of Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, CA. That airline was a Wrigley-operated firm. You can see a very clear image of NC9773, another sister ship, at this link, which describes Wilimington-Catalina Airline, Ltd. The subject image is near the bottom of that page. Register pilot Walter L. Seiler was chief pilot for Wilmington-Catalina. Please direct your browser to his link to learn much more about W-C and to see other images of its fleet of airplanes.

Upon its transfer, on May 21, 1931, to Wilmington-Catalina, it had a new Wright Cyclone 525 HP engine (R-1750; S/N 11042), new engine mount, cables, and the paint was removed and replaced with fresh. Its baggage compartment was placarded for 81 pounds, and a battery, generator and electric starter were installed.

Now we find NC9772 at Tucson on May 28, 1931 piloted by Ira Smalling carrying two passengers. They are westbound from El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA. This flight is probably the ferry flight, in brand new paint, from the midwest to its new job of carrying passengers on the Pacific Coast. You can see an image of it on the ground at Tucson in the background of the top photograph at this link.

Below, a very interesting Golden Age artifact. It is an image of NC9772 etched on an octagonal brass plate and dated 1931. Mike Gerow found it at a yard sale. It is conjecture, but this etching may have been mounted on a plaque and sold as a souvenir.

Loening NC9772 at Santa Catalina Island, 1931

Note that the airplane is standing on the roundabout table at the Avalon end of the W-C route. The rotating table was used to reverse the direction of fleet airplanes in readiness for re-entry into the water. Also conjecture is the identity of the tall gentleman in white. He could be Walter Seiler, cited above. Compare photos of him at his link.

It is commonly believed that Wilmington-Catalina maintained an exemplary record over the years of its operation (1931-41). It was the shortest but also the safest airline, having flown the channel between Catalina Island and the mainland 38,000 times carrying over 200,000 passengers with no accidents or injuries over that decade. However, Mike Gerow offers that he, "... always had a problem with [that statement's] essential veracity. One must take into consideration the fatal crash of Dolphin NC12212 in 1933, in which the airline's GM and copilot were killed. However, the aircraft was not in service at the time and the crash victims were not fare-paying passengers, so the ... statement is technically correct, but just by the 'skin of its teeth' since it implies fare-paying without actually specifiying it."

NC9772 seems to have flown under Wilmington livery for about two years. It was sold on September 26, 1933 to Alberto T. Mancilla, Transportes Aereos Mexicanos, S.A., and flown into Mexico that night by pilot Harry Hammill.

Its final disposition: "Sold into Mexico 4/26/33". Note the date discrepancy.

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The image below, courtesy of friend of dmairfield.org Tim Kalina, comes from the October 1929 issue of the Air Travel magazine rotogravure section. Not only do we see a spectacularly clear image of NC9772, but the background pattern of repeating biplanes is very creative and attractive. The airplane is identified as "Miss True Story" and is being flown by Macfadden Publications.

NC9772, ca. October 1929

The bottom image is of 6370, a 1927 Fairchild FC-2, S/N 127. This airplane does not appear in the Register.

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UPLOADED: 03/23/06 REVISED: 01/08/07, 02/26/08, 12/31/08, 01/28/09, 01/23/13