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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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Ryan's log book images courtesy of Alan Renga at the San Diego Aerospace Museum (SDAM). Exhibited with permission.

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There is lots on the web pertaining to this famous early aircraft manufacturer and aerospace executive.

This site for a brief biography and image.

This site, compiled for the Centennial of Flight in 2003, provides background on the early history of Ryan's aviation activities, as well as a great summary of Ryan's legacy to the aerospace industry.

Ryan photo and cartoon map from the Charles Cooper Photograph and Document Collection.

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T. CLAUDE RYAN

T. Claude Ryan, ca. 1920s

T. (for Tubal) Claude Ryan was born January 3, 1898 at Parsons, KS and died September 11, 1982. His name is most closely linked to the Ryan NYP NX-211, the "Spirit of St. Louis" flown by Charles Lindbergh from New York to Paris in May 1927. Fair enough, as this was a one-of-a-kind machine designed specifically for that flight, and it did exactly the job it was designed to do.

However, Ryan contributed mostly his name to the New York to Paris endeavor. Needing capital, Ryan had become partners with Benjamin Franklin Mahoney in April 1925. He was only marginally involved financially in the company that manufactured the New York to Paris aircraft, having sold his interest in the company to Mahoney in 1926 (but he stayed on to manage the company).

Two interesting artifacts of Ryan's early business life are below. These are souvenir flight certificates given to passengers who paid for an airplane ride at the Ryan Flying Company. The first card, dated Sunday, September 27, 1925, includes the name of the pilot, "Stowe," as well as the passenger, Mrs. T.M Woolley. Mrs. Woolley was the great-grandmother of the site visitor who contributed the image, Ron Jurek.

Ryan Flying Company Souvenir Flight Card, September 27, 1925 (Source: Jurek)
Ryan Flying Company Souvenir Flight Card, September 27, 1925 (Source: Jurek)

 

Mr. Jurek states that his great-grandmother, "...at age 61, took a Ryan Air Flight over San Diego on September 27, 1925. I found her Flight Certificate in a scrapbook." And further, "I found nothing in Mrs. Woolley's scrap book or in her other files related to flight. She had relatives in San Diego, so I suspect they took her to the airport for sightseeing." That her flight was on Sunday suggests this was the case.

The second card, below, (not a clear photo, but it's the best I have) was signed by Ryan as pilot, but listed no passenger name. It was dated Friday, January 16, 1925. This predates Ryan's partnership with Mahoney cited above, and it predates Mrs. Woolley's flight by about eight months. Note the price adjustment.

Ryan Flying Company Souvenir Flight Card, January 16, 1925 (Source: Champagne)
Ryan Flying Company Souvenir Flight Card, January 16, 1925 (Source: Champagne)

This card is shared with us by site visitor from Quebec, France Champagne. We know to whom the certificate was awarded. France states, "I can also tell you, even if the name of the client has not been written on the ticket, that it was George J. Stadler, the Manager of the San Diego Consolidated Brewing Company." The card states that patrons have, "...seen San Diego from the air on a WONDER AIR FLIGHT over the City and surroundings. It also cites Ryan's address as "Ocean Beach Road: Look for the Long Line of Planes."

During other flights, Ryan landed at Tucson twice, on September 13, 1927 (flying a Waco 10, NC1444) and September 4, 1929 (flying a Great Lakes 825K). These flights seemed to be ferry flights of new aircraft. During his 1927 visit he was inspected by the U.S. Border Patrol. There is no reason given for the inspection.

Please refer to the links at left for more information. The "Spirit of St. Louis" was just the beginning of an illustrious career in aerospace. He became a Member of the International Aerospace Hall of Fame, 1965. The link has an image of him at that time.As you might imagine, the San Diego Aerospace Museum retains many artifacts of Ryan's aviation life. Below, some views of one of his earliest pilot log books. We see his signature and the tattered binding of this first log begun when he was in the military and first learned to fly.

T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, 1920 (Source: SDAM)
T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, 1920

Below, just inside the log, his flight training began at March Field on November 1, 1920. Training officer Peabody is not a Register pilot.

T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, 1920 (Source: SDAM)
T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, 1920

Below, the physical specifics of T.C. Ryan at the beginning of his flying career. He was a resident of Orange, CA, 22 years old, 5' 8" tall, brown hair and eyes, and single. His commanding officer, B.K. Yount, is not a Register pilot.

T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, November 1, 1920- March 25, 1921 (Source: SDAM)
T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, 1920-21

Below, his Pilot's School "report card" of March 25, 1921. He scored relatively high.

T.C. Ryan Flight School "Report Card", March 25, 1921 (Source: SDAM)
T.C. Ryan Flight School "Report Card", March 25, 1921

Below, a page from his log that covers November, 1920 to February, 1921. Register pilot Ned Schramm was Ryan's first flight instructor. Joe Baugher's site identifies the cited airplanes (44-906, et. seq.) as Curtiss model JN-6HG-1. From the looks of his log, Ryan solo'd with very few flight hours.

T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, November, 1920- February, 1921 (Source: SDAM)
T.C. Ryan, Pilot Log, November, 1920- February, 1921

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I conclude with this fanciful cartoon map of San Diego Bay, which shows highlights of the area in 1937:

Notice the Ryan School of Aeronautics at center, with the birthplace of the "Spirit of St. Louis" signified with an arrow. You can see the Camp Kearney dirigible base, and even the "paved highways from Los Angeles and Hollywood." The "Radio Station" labeled at top center is the Chollas Heights transmitter/receiver array.

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Dossier 2.1.28

THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 01/23/06 REVISED: 11/18/08, 02/17/09, 11/26/16

 
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