Dick Ranaldi, Early Portrait (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Dick Ranaldi was born June 14, 1907 and died September 23, 1961. His short life was dedicated to his family and aviation. We are fortunate to have many photographs, as well as Ranaldi's flight log book, preserved by his daughters who share them with us below.

The photographs show a cross-section of his life (early portrait, left), while the flight log documents his flights for the decade between May 15, 1929 and December 30, 1939.

He kept a detailed flight log that places him in Tucson when he signed the Register (below). You may download a copy of his full log here (62 pages; 4.5MB PDF). The log is an interesting study.

Below, the frontispiece of his flight log, listing his major employers between 1929 and 1932. Ranaldi was an inveterate sketcher, and the left blank page of the frontispiece is covered with examples of his drawings. A sharply banked trimotor flies toward the viewer. A cartoon likeness of Ranaldi, with his Transport license number on the bottom, appears where normally a small photograph would be glued to the page. Pilot noir humor shows up in broken and crashing airplanes, a free balloon approaching Saturn, a parachutist with sweat drops flying off, and the ambulance rushing along the ground.

Dick Ranaldi, Flight Log Frontispiece (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Ranaldi landed at Tucson once on June 5, 1929. He flew NC7119, a Ford trimotor owned and operated by Maddux Airlines. He carried four unidentified passengers. Based at Glendale, CA, they were west- then northbound to Grand Canyon, AZ. He annotated this flight as "Warner Bro's Studios". Does anyone KNOW who the passengers were, or the purpose of this flight? An excellent photograph of Ranaldi in Maddux uniform standing by a Maddux Ford is at the link at the University of Southern California Digital Library.

At the time he was working for Maddux as a pilot of the line. Although he did not identify the registration number of his airplane in his log, from the Davis-Monthan Register we can certainly infer that it was NC7119 (refer to the fifth line from the bottom of his flight log for May-June, 1929, below).

Rinaldi's Flight Log From June, 1929 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

An interesting learning from this page of his log is that he first soloed in a Ford trimotor for 20 minutes on May 20th. Barely three weeks later he was carrying passengers for hire after logging a couple of dozen flight hours in the Ford, and about 1,700 total hours to-date.

Below, a photograph of Ranaldi (R) with an unknown gentleman. Does anyone KNOW who he is? Photo shared with us by Mike Gerow.

Dick Ranaldi (R) With Unknown Gentleman, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Gerow)

Dick Ranaldi, Undated, Later Portrait (Source: Ranaldi Family)

His itinerary that brought him to Tucson was flown over four days. He left Los Angeles on June 4th, flew to Phoenix, AZ and spent the night there. He flew from Phoenix to Tuscon [sic] and Tucson to Grand Canyon, AZ on June 5th. He returned from Grand Canyon on the 6th and 7th via Prescott, AZ, Victorville and Glendale, CA.

According to his log, he flew for T.A.T. and Maddux Airlines from June, 1929 through October, 1930. He had a few interesting incidents. On June 20, 1929 he reported for the Ford a "Loose cylinder on J5", and on the 26th "Scenics over Graf Zeppelin day & night 20 trips". He flew eight hours and 20 minutes that day and flew an estimated 807 miles. He flew mostly Ford and Lockheed aircraft, with an occasional Stearman flight for sightseeing.

On October 17, 1930 he took a two week vacation. His log begins again November 2nd on a fresh page (p. 22) with him working for Transcontinental and Western Air (T&WA).

At right, a later portrait in the obligatory helmet, goggles and silk scarf. This photograph is signed at the top "Love (PS-Lots), Dick". Although not dated, it was probably taken mid-to late 1930s. The recipient of this portrait could very well be his wife, pictured below in August, 1938. She is the woman at far left in this photo taken near their wedding day. The airplane is a Grand Canyon Airlines Ford.

Portrait of Grand Canyon Airline Passengers, Boulder City, NV, August, 1938 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, three views of the Grand Canyon Airlines terminal and aircraft. The airplane, with registration number clearly readable on the rudder, is Ford NC9644. It is not a Register airplane. From the sign above the head of the person in the middle image, the location is Boulder City, NV. Because his face is in shadow, it is difficult to tell if the person is pilot Ranaldi. We do know, however, that fellow Register pilot J. Parker Van Zandt founded Grand Canyon Airlines.

Grand Canyon Airlines, Boulder City, NV, Ca. August, 1938 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Dick Ranaldi With Grand Canyon Airlines Ford, Boulder City, NV, Ca. August, 1938 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Photograph, left, of Ranaldi with a Grand Canyon Airlines Ford trimotor (note "GCA" under the wing). Location and date are unknown, but the building in the background (and the automobiles) are the same as in the photographs above, and the rope fence with weighted bases ties all three of these images together. Chances are good they were all taken at the same time.

It might be worth mentioning at this point, while viewing Dick Ranaldi in his transport pilot uniform, that changes were taking place at the Federal level regarding pilot (and aircraft) certifications. Below, Ranaldi's blue airman identification card. This card is undated, but a brief analysis of the history of the Federal Aviation Administration puts bounds on a possible date.

Aviation in the U.S. was unregulated, except at the state level, before 1926. With the Air Commerce Act of May 20, 1926, aviators, aircraft and flights began being regulated by the federal government within the Department of Commerce (DOC). A new Aeronautics Branch within the DOC assumed primary responsibility for aviation oversight.

In 1934, the Aeronautics Branch was renamed the Bureau of Air Commerce. And, in 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Act transferred Federal civil aviation responsibilities from the DOC to a new, independent agency, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA). Soon, in 1940, President Roosevelt split the CAA into two agencies, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). It was a real win for the acronym.

With the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, CAA's functions were transferred to a new body, the Federal Aviation Agency. Succeeding changes in the 1960s saw the Federal Aviation Agency renamed to the present Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Given this history, the Civil Aeronautics Administration was the governing entity for aviation in the United States between 1940 and 1958. Therefore, the blue ID card below was issued sometime between those dates.

Dick Ranaldi's Airman Certificate, Undated (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi's dated Airline Transport Pilot certificate issued in June, 1960. It was issued under the authority of the Federal Aviation Agency as outlined in the brief history, above.

Dick Ranaldi's Pilot Certificate, Issued June 20, 1960 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

That said, below, a dapper Ranaldi in a photograph taken on board a ship in October, 1935. His flight log for this period cites a trip to Manila, Philippines. This photo was probably taken during the voyage.

Dick Ranaldi, October 11, 1935 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

The final two pages of his flight log summarize his flight hours before 1929, and to the end of 1939. He entered 1940 with 4,929 hours and 46 minutes of recorded flight time. On the left page, he even calculated total miles flown, both scheduled and "other". On another document he noted that he made the calculations based upon an average airspeed of 100MPH.

1929-1939 Flight Log Summaries (Source: Ranaldi Family)

The following page summarizes his hours before this log book began on May 15, 1929. Note that his first solo flight was in an OX-5 powered Curtiss JN-4D on July 10, 1925. Also notable are the signatures of Register pilots H.C. Lippiatt and Leo Nomis, who both signed off on the veracity of Ranaldi's flight times (1,650 hours total before 1929).

1929-1939 Flight Log Summaries (Source: Ranaldi Family)

The following photograph is somewhat of a mystery. The autograph says "To Daredevil Dick. Doing death defying Dangerous deeds Daily - Tom Swift". Is the person on the left an actor? An author? Tom Swift was a character in a long-running series of science fiction books that told of the exploits of a creative boy-inventor (Swift) and the application of his inventions.

Curiously, according to information available on Google, until recent plans for a big-screen treatment (coming in 2010?), the only electronic or motion picture media performance of the Tom Swift character was done by Willie Aames in the 1983 pilot episode, titled "The Treasure of Rancho del Sol" on the ABC TV show "The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour". The TV pilot was not picked up.

If the Tom Swift in the photo is that Tom Swift, we could be looking at an ironic play on the inability of a creative inventor to figure out how to don a parachute. If he's a different Tom Swift, we're back to the mystery. Does anyone KNOW the Tom Swift person, or the context of this photograph?

"Tom Swift" (L) and Dick Ranaldi, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Regardless, we have Ranaldi on the right. The airplane is unidentified, but is operated by the Pacific School of Aviation, owned by fellow Register pilot James E. Granger. Note the foliage gathered and dragged around by the tail skid.

Besides Warner Brothers and Tom Swift, Ranaldi was acquainted with other celebrities. Below, an undated photograph with Register pilot Wallace Beery. "Stub" was a common Golden Age nickname for altitude-challenged pilots.

Dick Ranaldi, Right, With Wallace Beery (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi on the right with Amelia Earhart and, perhaps, Frank Clark. The airplane looks like a Lockheed Vega, which, because of the paint scheme, is probably not the one, NC7952, Earhart flew to Tucson.

Dick Ranaldi, Right, with Amelia Earhart and Frank Clark (?), Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Dick Ranaldi posed in the left seat of a Waco cabin aircraft. Site contributor Andy Heins identifies the oval panel and steering wheels as a Waco between the years 1934-37, as it has a five-piece windshild. He states there is, "No other way to identify which model because I cannot see enough of the panel. It is a Standard Cabin (UKC, YKC, YKC-S, UKS-6, YKS-6, ZKS-6, ZKS-7, UKS-7, VKS-7, YKS-7)."

Dick Ranaldi In Unknown Cockpit, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, an excellent example of Ranaldi's sketching. During WWII he worked for Northrop, where he was assistant production manager for the P-61 "Black Widow". He also flew it as a test pilot.This drawing was made when he was at Northrop in his managerial role.

Cartoon Drawn By Dick Ranaldi, Date Unspecified, Ca. WWII (Source: Ranaldi Family)

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Other photos from the Ranaldi family follow. I've arranged them in roughly chronological order.

Below, from 1923, a composite photograph of many Golden Age aviators from southern California.

Southern California Aviators, 1923 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Among Register pilots found in this composite are Ace Bragunier, "Buddy" Budwick [sic, should be Budwig], Charles Harding Babb, Cloyd Clevenger, Earl Daugherty, Art Goebel, Tex Legrone [sic, should be Lagrone], C. Pickup, E.L. Remlin [sic, should be Remelin], F.C. [sic, should be E.C.] Whitehead and Al Wilson. Notably, Anita Snook is pictured near the middle of the second row from the bottom. She gave flight instruction to Regsiter pilot Amelia Earhart.

Below, a portrait of a young Ranaldi with a biplane. Note the oil derricks in the background.

Ranaldi With Airplane, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below is an aerial photograph of Clover Field, Santa Monica, CA dated 1928. This is a large-format print that was folded several times (see the folds). The landing field is in the right foreground. On the original, someone has sketched a white arrow near the bottom center. The arrow points to a biplane that is just getting airborne. Who was flying the airplane is unknown.

Clover Field, Santa Monica, CA, 1928 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, an enlargement of the arrow detailed above. The departing biplane's shadow is visible under the fold and CLOVER FIELD is readable on the hangar roof at top left. The airfield was busy that day, with aircraft, vehicles and people moving around.

Clover Field, 1928, Detail (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a biplane festooned with flowers. There was no identification provided for the airplane or the occasion.

Festooned Biplane, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, an airplane nosed over. Again, there was no identification provided for the airplane or the occasion.

Biplane Nosed Over, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a striking portrait of Register pilot Leo Nomis. Nomis taught Ranaldi how to fly. He was a motion picture pilot suffering numerous injuries while plying his trade, as evidenced by his nose.

Leo Nomis, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi (far right) with the Hollywood Flyers (HF on their sweater logos) of Clover Field. I could find no Google information on the Hollywood Flyers as a group. Nor does this REFERENCE cite them. I understand, however, they were part of the Paul Mantz movie family. Does anyone KNOW?

The Hollywood Flyers, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a photograph of Paul Mantz signed inscrutably to "The Great Ranaldi. There is only one C.S. He can always fly my ships." Note the propeller on his tie bar.

Paul Mantz, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below is movie pilot Frank Clarke. Clarke was Ranaldi's Hollywood drinking buddy and a family friend.

Movie Flyer Frank Clarke, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Lockheed Vega NC7427, Detail (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a photograph of Ranaldi standing in the cockpit of a Lockheed Vega shaking hands with an unidentified gentleman. The context of this photograph is long-forgotten, but we can identify the airplane by examining the writing on the fuselage at the left side of the image. It says "Santa Maria Air-Lines" as illustrated at right when that section of the photo is "pushed" with PhotoShop. Santa Maria operated only one Lockheed Vega and that was Register airpane 7427. It flew a short route from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, CA during 1928-29. Ranaldi worked for Santa Maria for a time, accumulating 390 flight hours on their behalf, and flying this Vega for 180 hours (see his flight log entry, above, left hand column, third block down). If anyone has information about Lockheed 7427, please let me KNOW. NC7427 (S/N 15) also appeared in the Clover Field Register (once), and the Register of the Grand Central Air Terminal (8-times).

Lockheed Vega NC7427, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, is a photograph of Bill Walling, identified by site visitor and relative, Marilyn LeVeque. He was an actor and photographer at Paramount for almost fifty years. Ms. LeVeque says that Walling, "... as an actor went by Richard Walling, as photographer at Paramount went by William or Bill or Wm. Walling, Jr." The caption states, "To Dick -- From one 8 day bicycle rider to another."

Bill Walling, December 26, 1936 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

William Richard Walling, June 25, 1933 (Source: LeVeque)

Ms. LeVeque provides the image at left and states further, "William Richard Walling, son of William R. Walling, Sr. and Effie (Bond) Walling, ... was born in [San Francicso, CA] on Oct. 6, 1904 and died in Los Angeles in Dec. 1983.  Both of his parents were actors.  ....  His grandfather was John T. Walling (originally WALLIN from Leicester, England and came to N.Y. in Aug. 1845 with his siblings) and after the Civil War Bill's grandfather, John T. Walling settled in Napa, CA with his family from Sac City, Iowa.

"After the S.F. earthquake in 1906, ... Bills father moved his family to L.A.  William, Jr. was hired by Cecille B. DeMille.  He first was an actor, then Photographer for Paramount from 1926 to his retirement in 1973. He took many famous portraits.  He was married 4 times, his widow and 4th wife, Marie, passed away last Sept. 2010.  He had 4 children."

Below, a group photograph of what probably shows members of the Motion Picture Pilot's Association around a fountain. Pancho Barnes is seated, center, with Dick Ranaldi second from the right.

Group Photograph, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a drawing from 1941 that depicts the "Ranaldi Racer." It was presented December 25th by "Nelson." It appears to be an early implementation of directional control by vectored exhaust.

"Ranaldi Racer" December 25, 1941 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a military portrait of an unnamed soldier.

A Soldier Named "Fu Fu," Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Duncan Renaldo, "The Cisco Kid," signed photograph to Ranaldi's daughter in 1977.

"The Cisco Kid" Duncan Renaldo, 1977 Autograph (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below is a two-page spread of an article that pictures the production test pilots for the P-61 "Black Widow" project at Northrop.

Northrop "Black Widow" Project (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Page two. Register pilots Moyhe Stephens and George Armistead are pictured.

Northrop "Black Widow" Project (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Charles LaJotte, a Ranaldi family friend. His vignette in the article above was cropped from this photograph. Note the throat microphones worn in the next three photographs.

Charles LaJotte (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Max Stanley whose vignette in the article above was cropped from this photograph. He stands in the cockpit of the P-61.

Max Stanley (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi portrait beneath the P-61. His vignette in the article above was cropped from this photograph.

Dick Ranaldi, Portrait Beneath Northrop P-61, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, the March 15, 1944 issue of The Northrop News. The center columns feature the P-61 "Black Widow."

Northrop News, March 15, 1944 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, the original of the photograph published in The Northrop News, above. The location is inside the pilot's room in the Flight Office at Northrop FIeld. No details can be read on the script. Note the microphone ready for broadcast.

Photograph Published in The Northrop News, March 15, 1944 (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Next, a photograph of Register pilot Harry Ashe, right. Note the Link Trainer in the background used for instrument training. The tilt window at left is open, indicating this photograph might have been taken during the summer. The photo is signed by Ashe to Ranaldi, "From another junior birdman."

Harry Ashe, Right (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, an unidentified photo with Ranaldi at left. The two gentlemen on the right wear visitor's badges. The man over Ranaldi's shoulder might be fellow test pilot Perret shown in the P-61 article, above. Third from left looks like Register pilot Moye W. Stephens. Can anyone IDENTIFY others?

Group Photograph, Northrop, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi, left, with two unidentified men. Note Ranaldi's soiled trousers, a test pilot characteristic.

Ranaldi, Left, With Two Unidentified Men (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, the Northrop N-1M flying wing NX28311. This was the small (38-foot wingspan) flying prototype for the YB series of flying wings built and tested (unsuccessfully) by Northrop. The slots in the front of the wing are air intakes for the two piston pusher engines. The craft was made of wood. The flight test program was run by Register pilot Moye Stephens and he is probably flying the wing shown below over what is probably Muroc Dry Lake.Another source for the N-1M flying wing is at the link. Ranaldi is not known to have flown this airplane, but it makes sense that it was among the photos of his collection.

Northrop N-1M Flying Wing, NX28311, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, a Vultee Vengeance A-31. Note the change in dihedral of the wing about a third of the way out from the root. About 300 of these were built, some of them under license at Northrop in Hawthorne, CA.

A-31 Vultee Vengeance (Source: Ranaldi Family)

On September 23, 1980, a testimonial dinner was held for Northrop company founder John Northrop. The link yields a PDF download (six pages, 509kB) describing the festivities.

Below, two publicity photographs of Ranaldi with film actor Frank Morgan ( the Wizard in "The Wizard of Oz"), probably taken at Northrop. The purpose of Morgan's visit is unknown.

Dick Ranaldi and Frank Morgan, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, Ranaldi and Register pilot George Armistead(?) take a flight "lesson" from Morgan. The biggest lesson is that his parachute is on backwards! Ranaldi's sweater and the shape of the oil stain on the front of his trousers suggest this photo was taken the same day as the one above with two unidentified men.

Dick Ranaldi and Frank Morgan, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Next, Ranaldi, left, in the cockpit of an unidentified aircraft. The person at right is also unidentified.

Dick Ranaldi, Left, In Cockpit, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Below, the Lockheed Lodestar NC18197 owned by Petan Dairy, Ranaldi's last job. The airplane is taking off with landing gear partially up.

Lockheed NC18197, Date Unknown (Source: Ranaldi Family)

Your Webmaster With Dick Ranaldi's Daughter, Merced, CA, May 23, 2009 (Webmaster Photo)

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Dossier 2.1.187

THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 07/02/09 REVISED: 04/16/11, 05/31/12, 08/08/13