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Henry Ogden landed three times at Tucson. His first visit was Saturday, December 1, 1928. He carried J. Morris and A.J. Edwards as passengers. They were flying the Kreutzer TM-4, NX71E. Edwards was VP of the Joseph Kreutzer Corporation; Ogden was the chief pilot. Based in Los Angeles, CA, they were eastbound from Phoenix, AZ to Chicago, IL. Although the purpose of their trip was not specified in the Register, information from the NASM documentation for the airplane (please direct your browser to the airplane's link) states that the airplane was manufactured expressly for and, "... planned to be exhibited at Chicago show in December 1928."
Below, courtesy of site contributor Andy Heins, is a photograph of Ogden while he was in the military. He holds what appears to be a tightly folded navigation chart. The aircraft is unidentified.
Henry H. Ogden, Date & Location Unidentified (Source: Heins)
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He landed at Tucson again on Friday, February 21, 1930 flying the Ogden Osprey NX187N (see below). He was solo southeast bound from Los Angeles, CA to Nogales, AZ. His final landing was on Friday, August 8, 1930. He carried two unidentified passengers in the Ogden Osprey NR398V. They were eastbound from Los Angeles to El Paso, TX.
Another Ogden Osprey, NC150W, is signed in the Register. Please direct your browser to the link for the airplane to see a motion picture film of it with (probably) Ogden at the controls.
Perhaps Ogden's greatest claim to fame is that he was part of the four-aircraft Round The World Flight executed by the Army in 1924. Ogden (then a Staff Sergeant) was copilot/mechanic on Register pilot Leigh Wade's "Boston." When the original "Boston" crashed near Iceland, a backup, christened "Boston II," was substituted and they completed their circumnavigation. For their efforts, the crews won the Mackay Trophy for 1924. Ogden was also promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. The text of the award follows.
"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Second Lieutenant (Air Service) Henry H. Ogden, United States Army Air Service, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. Lieutenant Ogden, as Assistant Pilot of Airplane No. 3, the "Boston," and Assistant Supply Officer of the U.S. Army Air Service around-the-world flight from 6 April 1924 to 28 September 1924, displayed to a marked degree technical skill, courage, energy, and resourcefulness in carrying out his supply duties, in addition to alternate piloting of Airplane No. 3 during the voyage. His foresight, perseverance, and mechanical ability were very material factors in contributing to the successful accomplishment of this pioneer flight of airplanes around the world. In the efficient performance of his arduous duties he aided in the accomplishment of an undertaking bringing great credit to himself and the military forces of the United States." |
Ogden and his other crews landed at Tucson during the World Flight. The Register was not in existence then, so there is no written record of his landing at the Airfield. However, you can see an image of him on the ground in Tucson, fourth from the left, here in the Cosgrove Collection. Register pilot Leslie Arnold was a member of another crew. Please follow his link for information about the logistics of the World Flight and a detailed diary of the itinerary. There are many other Web resources for the World Flight. One of the most recent is by the Mississippi Department of Archves and History at the link.
After his military service, Ogden manufactured trimotor planes as a civilian in Los Angeles. He manufactured the Ogden Osprey, which looked very much like the Kreutzer trimotor he flew to Tucson. As part of his business, he organized the Ogden Shuttle, a small airline that ferried freight, mail and passengers from Palm Springs, CA to Ensenada and La Paz in Baja California.
On the cusp of WWII, Ogden headed a Lockheed plant in England, where planes sent there under the lend-lease agreement were reassembled to fly against Germany. After WWII, he was Lockheed's vice president in charge of airplane servicing until retiring in 1965. Ogden was born September 13, 1900 and died at 85 years of age on January 24, 1986 at Laguna Niguel, CA.
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Dossier 2.1.190 and 3.1.53
THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 09/07/11 REVISED: 04/08/14
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