NEON LIGHTS

This airplane (S/N 102) was manufactured during February 1930 by the Ogden Aeronautical Corporation, Inglewood, CA. It left the factory with three American Cirrus engines of 90HP each (S/Ns L 126, C 130, R 158). It was a six-place airplane that weighed 4,500 pounds with a useful load of 1,656 pounds.

While it was initially approved with a "NC" registration, it was changed by the company to "NR" on July 11, 1930. It was "restricted for racing". It was modified by Ogden by having three chairs removed and three 30-gallon fuel drums, "securely fastened to chair sockets to compete as entry in All-American Derby sponsored by American Cirrus Engines, Inc., to begin July 31, 1930. On that same day, the airplane suffered an accident at Chicago, IL. It was repaired and re-licensed as "NC" as of September 15, 1930 under ATC Gr. 2-197.

NR398V landed at Tucson Friday, August 8, 1930 flown by H.H. Ogden carrying two unidentified passengers. Based in Los Angeles, CA they were westbound from El Paso, TX to Phoenix, AZ. An image of this airplane is available here. This landing at Tucson appears to be during the post-repair voyage from Chicago back to California, just before it was re-registered a month later.

Pilot Ogden had been at Tucson about six years earlier as mechanic on Leigh Wade's "Boston" World Flight Douglas Cruiser. You can see an image of him, fourth from the left, here.

By June 1931, now NC398V was based in Tacoma, WA to be, "entered in Washington-Oregon-Idaho Air Tour". But, as of June 14, 1931 it was grounded as unairworthy and ferried to the Ogden factory about August 25, 1931. It was placed in dead storage.

NC398V sold for the first time on February 6, 1933 to Louis A Charlebois of Santa Monica, CA. He re-registered it as "NR" as of April 18, 1933, and, in bureaucratese, "restricted to towing advertising banner and operation of radio advertising sound system in conjunction." Charlebois operated the airplane this way until August 1, 1934.

Next, Charlebois requested the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) that the airplane be grounded, as it was being operated, "in the vicinity of Colorado" without his permission. His letter is below.

Charlebois Letter to CAA, November 29, 1934

The CAA located the airplane in the vicinity of Corpus Christi, TX. The CAA letter of March 20, 1935 states, "There has probably been some violation connected with the operation of this ship. We are now trying to establish the fact that passengers were carried while the ship was operating under restricted license; also that the ship was flown after the expiration of the license."

Charlebois sold NR398V on March 15, 1935 to Robert Willard Martin of Bowie, TX. It was sold, "with advertising banner, same radio equipment and neon lights." It was approved with the NR license through October 1, 1935. Upon expiration the CAA cancelled the registration. It was suspected that the airplane was, "sold into Mexico". No further information.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 01/17/08 REVISED: 09/07/11