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Some of this information comes from the biographical file for pilot Stanton, CS-856020-20, reviewed by me in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.

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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. ISBN 978-0-9843074-0-1.

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STANLEY T. STANTON

Stanley Stanton and Cessna NC632K (Source: Forden)
Stanley Stanton and Cessna NC632K (Source: Forden)

Stanley Stanton landed five times at Tucson over the course of one year. Based at Wichita, KS, he favored Cessna aircraft, landing with four different registration numbers, NC6443, NC6444, NC7107 and NC8787. He entered no comments in the remarks column of the Register and gave no reasons for any of his visits.

His first landing was on Monday, November 26,1928 at 2:35PM. He was eastbound with NC6433 from El Centro, CA to El Paso, TX carrying Mr. & Mrs. R.A. Macintosh. Six months later, on Thursday, May 16, 1929, he landed again, this time in NC8787. He was westbound this time from El Paso to Los Angeles, CA carrying W.C. Vail.

His next two landings were in NC7107 on Monday, July 15, 1929 and on Friday, July 19, 1929. He was enroute west then east between El Paso to San Diego, CA, both times carrying a Major Wehele and his son. Please direct your browser to the link for this airplane to find out that it landed at Tucson a total of five times; the visits with Stanton being only two. Two other of its landings were as a competitor in the 1928 National Air Races in the hands of Register pilot Earl Rowland. And Eldon Cessna, son of Clyde Cessna, founder of the company, also flew it through Tucson.

Stanton's final landing was on Thursday, October 31, 1929. This time he was solo in NC6444, westbound from El Paso to Los Angeles. His year of flights illustrate well the key position that Tucson enjoyed, sitting astride the low altitude route between points east and the west coast.

Just a week earlier than his last landing at Tucson, Stanton was competing in the 1929 Ford Reliability Tour flying the airplane shown with him in the photograph above, right (Register airplane Cessna model DC-6B, NC632K, S/N 214). The airplane and pilot Stanton, with his wife as passenger, are cited in this REFERENCE, page 110. They placed 11th in the Tour. Pilot Rowland, again flying NC7107, was a fellow competitor, placing 13th.

Below, from his NASM biographical file (cited, left sidebar) is a photograph of Stanton and his wife, Billie (another photograph of her, as well as a news article mentioning her, is at Lockheed Vega NC336H). Stanton's NASM file is very slim, containing only this photograph. The photo is signed "To our Friend, Ralph W. Cram" and signed by both Stanton and his wife. At the very bottom it is dated, "1929 National Air Tour." As a journalist, Ralph Cram (1869-1952) was editor and publisher of the Davenport (IA) Democrat and Leader. He was also a fellow aviator. The airplane, while a Cessna, is unidentified. It is not the one the Stantons flew in the Tour.

Stanley T. Stanton and Wife Billie, 1929 National Air Tour, Location Unknown (Source: NASM)
Stanley T. Stanton and Wife Billie, Date & Location Unknown (Source: NASM)

Below, the reverse of the photograph above. This was a presentation photo that appeared to be late in coming. The photo was printed in Wichita, KS and donated to someone by Ralph Cram (perhaps the archive at his link, above).

Stanley T. Stanton and Wife Billie, 1929 National Air Tour, Reverse (Source: NASM)
Stanley T. Stanton and Wife Billie, 1929 National Air Tour, Reverse (Source: NASM)

Stanton went to work for Braniff Airways as one of its first pilots (Transport Pilot license 3250). By 1931, Braniff was flying to Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chicago, Wichita Falls and St. Louis. The line's early aircraft were Lockheed Vegas.

In 1933, he went to work for TWA. During WWII he flew for TWA's Intercontinental Division. The Airline Pilot's Association News of January, 1945 carried the following article about Stanton and his two grown sons, all contributing to the war effort. His career with TWA lasted until 1961 when he retired.

Stanley Stanton & Sons, ALPA News, January, 1945 (Source: Baldwin)
Stanley Stanton & Sons, January, 1945 (Source: Baldwin)

Below, from Stanton's great-granddaughter in-law, is a description of how aviation has remained in the Stanton family for at least three generations. The description begins with James Stanton, pictured above, right.

"James E. Stanton, son of Stanley T. Stanton, continued his airline pilot career with TWA until he retired in the early 1980's.  Now in his early 90's, he is living in Kansas ....  James E. Stanton also later had two sons, Steven Stanton and Robert Hillyer Stanton.  Steven Stanton, was a law enforcement officer in Sacramento and later retired to Kansas.  Steve Stanton has a son, RIck Stanton who has also continued in the field of aviation as an avionics technician for Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Nebraska, and flies recreationally. 

"Rick Stanton, now has three young sons with wife Jessica.  Robert H. Stanton, the youngest son of James E. Stanton, has three adult sons Jason Hillyer Stanton, Robert Steven Stanton and Douglas Adam Stanton, all of which also continue the proud family tradition of aviation.  Jason H. Stanton, the eldest, has over 5500 hours of flying time.  He has flown cargo over the Cascade mountains in the Pacific Northwest, air ambulance in the Southwest, private jet charters all over the continental United States and currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand flying a Citation X to a great variety of international destinations.  Jason H. Stanton is married to Laurinda Donelle Rogers and they have no children. 

"Robert Hillyer Stanton, Grandson of Stanley T. Stanton and father of Jason, Robert and Douglas Stanton, also continued the tradition of flying and worked for numerous smaller airline carriers throughout his career including Swift Air, Saudia Air, Republic, Hughs Air West, and finished his career as a Captain with Northwest Airlines flying the DC 10, Boeing 747 and Airbus A320, retiring in about 2003.

"Robert S. Stanton, also has a colorful aviation background as he has flown for Mesaba Airlines, also has flown some air ambulance in the Southwest, and currently flies private jet charters for Citation Air. Robert S. Stanton currently lives in Arizona and is married to Dana Renee Brandt and has a young son and daughter.  Douglas A. Stanton, the youngest of the Robert H. Stanton sons, also lives in Arizona and works for US Airways/Mesa Airlines as a aircraft maintenance technician. Douglas is currently unmarried."

The following, extracted from this REFERENCE, page 192, describes Stanton's life after the 1929 Air Tour.

Stanley T. Stanton was a skillful and loyal member of the 1929 Cessna team. In one of his landing trials, he touched down with both wheel brakes so firmly locked, that the airplane slid to a stop in something less than four seconds. But both tires blew out as he taxied away, and the timers protested this was not a practical way to land an airplane.

Stanton flew a Cessna racer in the Cirrus Engine Derby the following year but the 5,500 mile contest turned out for him, a series of forced landings. On one hot and windy afternoon Stan came down on a rough field in the Nevada desert, broke one wheel on a rock. He found help at a nearby crossroads, fashioned a wooden wheel from a discarded automobile hub and hand sawn boards reinforced by a good, hardwood toilet seat lid. And with this he got off again and caught up with the others.

Stanton became number 47 on the Transcontinental and Western Air seniority list when Larry Fritz hired him in July of 1933; and for the next twenty-eight years he flew transports all over the world. He retired, left two sons to carry on as TWA Captains. Stan settled down in Muskegon, Michigan where he has time for his hobby of building beautiful furniture —none of it having any resemblance to a rough wooden airplane wheel hand hewn in the Nevada desert

According to son Charles, Stanton was born March 10, 1901 and Flew West April 13, 1974.

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Dossier 2.1.151

THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 12/26/11 REVISED: 02/02/12, 01/18/15

 
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I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Stanton and his airplanes to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.
Thanks to John Baldwin for the image from the ALPA News, below.
 
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