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There is no biographical file for pilot Voss 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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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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, or use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author.  ISBN 978-0-9843074-4-9.

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ERNST VOSS
Ernst Voss, 1916, Aero Digest, November, 1931 (Source: Woodling)
Ernst Voss, 1916, Aero Digest, November, 1931 (Source: Woodling)

 

Ernst Voss was born in Mecklinburg-Schwerin, Germany, on December 12, 1895, one of 12 children. He served in the German air corps during WWI and saw duty over France. I have sparse record of his military accomplishments. According to a site visitor, he earned a couple of unidentified medals and he shot down a Nieuport on April 5, 1917. The source is the Jasta War Chronology, by Norman Franks, Frank Bailey and Rick Duiven.

Voss landed once at Tucson, Thursday, May 24, 1934 at 10:25AM. He flew the Stinson NC8421, and carried two passengers he identified as Marian Trace and F.W. Wakefield. They were based at San Francisco, CA and arrived at Tucson from Yuma, AZ. They cited their destination as "Central America." They gave no reason for their trip, but from other sources we discover they were headed for Honduras, where Voss had started Condor Airlines. The airplane was to be one of his transport craft.

Before his visit at Tucson on his way to Honduras, a news article from the Stevens Point (WI) Journal of September 18, 1930 cites Voss as the test pilot for a new aircraft propelled by paddle wheel propellers. The photograph from the article, below, shows the machine and its inventor, Ernest Schroder, a San Francisco machinist.

 

 

Stevens Point (WI) Journal, September 18, 1930 (Source: Woodling)

 

 

 

Voss is inset at left. It is unclear, but doubtful, that the craft ever became airborne. Whether it did or not is immaterial. The craft was one example of the many experiments to realize powered flight during the Golden Age by inventors with "ambition."

 

 

According to the Aero Digest of November, 1931 (see Voss' photograph from the article, above), Voss operated the Ernst Voss School of Aviation in San Bruno, CA. Interestingly, his passenger, Marian Trace, herself a pilot, was secretary at the school. The author of the article was Register pilot Cy Caldwell in his (in)famous Aero Digest column titled "Personairlites."

As with many of Caldwell's articles, the text rambles prosaically with very low density information about Voss and his activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voss Air Taxi Service, Honduras, Congressional Report, 1934 (Source: Woodling)
Voss Air Taxi Service, Honduras, Congressional Report, 1934 (Source: Woodling)

 

Further to his visit at Tucson and his itinerary to Central America, at right, from a 1934 Congressional report, is a description of airways infrastructure in Honduras at that time. Even the most established carriers provided service from various cities only once or twice a week.

Note the brief mention of Voss' air taxi service based on a single aircraft that was probably NC8421. Note also the misspelling of his first name. For interest and contrast, I have left the section describing automobile and truck statistics in the country near the same time.

The article, below, from The Logansport (IN) Press of May 30, 1930, reports the death of Ernst Voss.

The Logansport (IN) Press, May 30, 1930 (Source: Woodling)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His accident and death occurred just a year after we found him passing through Tucson. Unfortunately, his passengers in Honduras met the same fate. I have very little information about his life, or photographs of Voss. If you can help fill in the blanks, please let me KNOW.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 02/04/14 REVISED: 04/10/17
 
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I'm looking for information and photographs of pilot Voss and his passengers and airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.

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Thanks to Guest Editor Bob Woodling for help researching this page.

OTHER BOOKS FOR YOU

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. ISBN 978-0-9843074-2-5.

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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.  Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author. ISBN 978-0-9843074-1-8.

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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race is available at the link. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author. 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. ISBN 978-0-9843074-3-2.

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