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There is no biographical file for pilot Brusse in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.

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THANK YOU!

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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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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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LEE V. BRUSSE

Lee Brusse visited Tucson three times. The first time was Sunday, August 11, 1929. He was solo in Travel Air NC9963. Based at Glendale, CA, he was westbound from Douglas, AZ to Los Angeles, CA. His second visit was later the same year, on Friday, October 18, 1929. He carried a single passenger, identified as "Porter" in Kreutzer NC243M.

His flight in the Kreutzer may have been related to the fact that this airplane carried three Kinner engines (see below). His final landing came on Tuesday, February 25, 1930. He carried "Miss Porter" as his single passenger in Fleet NC618M.

The following two images are shared with us by friend of dmairfield.org, John Underwood. The first is an early photograph from May, 1924 with Brusse at the far left. Does anyone RECOGNIZE the other people? The airplane is the one-of-a-kind Kinner Argonaut. It is basically an Airster with a 200-hp Renault V-8 engine. The Argonaut made headlines in 1924 when it transported couples through their wedding vows, becoming known as the “Honeymoon Special.”

Lee Brusse (L) With Three Unidentified Men, 1924 (Source: Underwood)
Lee Brusse (L) With Three Unidentified, 1924 (Source: Underwood)

Bert Kinner was a manufacturer of aircraft and engines at Glendale, CA from the early 1920s to 1939. Lee Brusse was Cora (Brusse) Kinner's brother. As well as his brother-in-law, Brusse was Kinner's chief pilot and test pilot.

During the early 1930s, he competed in the National Air Races. According to the Aircraft Yearbook, in 1931 Brusse placed second in the men's transcontinental handicap race from Santa Monica, CA to Cleveland, OH. He flew a Waco aircraft with a Kinner engine. Curiously, the St. Petersburg (FL) Evening Independent of September 1, 1931 has him placing third.

Below, in 1932, Brusse stands ready to test fly a Kinner K Sportster, S/N 38. Note the shadows of bystanders.

Lee Brusse, Kinner Aircraft, April 15, 1932 (Source: Underwood)
Lee Brusse, Kinner Aircraft, April 15, 1932 (Source: Underwood)

From these photographs you can see that Brusse was a tall man. He was 6' 5" , and one of the tallest pilots on the west coast. This is reported in the Spokane (WA) Daily Chronicle of December 12, 1940, which also identifies Brusse as a Captain with United Air Lines.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 01/23/10 REVISED: 12/15/21

 
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I'm looking for photographs of his airplanes and additional information about pilot Brusse to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please use this FORM to contact me.

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