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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 It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders.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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A video interview with Steve Wittman is at the EAA Timeless Voices of Aviation Web site at the link.

See also a video interview with your Webmaster at the same Web site at the link.

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SYLVESTER J. "STEVE" WITTMAN

Steve Wittman landed twice at Tucson, both times in conjunction with his competition during the 1928 National Air Races. His airplane is a Pheasant H-10 biplane, NC5610.

It is interesting how Davis-Monthan pilots who flew nearly 80 years ago weave themselves into contemporary journalism. This image is of Wittman’s NAA license that was current when he flew through Tucson. The image appeared in EAA's Sport Aviation magazine in January, 2003.

The activation date of his license was September 4, 1928. This was just five days before he flew into Tucson on his way to place 12th out of 38 starters in the New York to Los Angeles trans-continental race that year.

Wittman’s 64-year career had him competing in many races from the 1920s to 1980s. This link gives a brief chronology of his races and aircraft. Another image of Wittman on this site is here. Below, shared by site visitor Joe Kranz, is a U.S. postal cachet signed by Wittman July 1, 1933. The cachet commemorates the National Air Races that year.

Steve Wittman, U.S. Postal Cachet, July 1, 1933 (Source: Kranz)
Steve Wittman, U.S. Postal Cachet, July 1, 1933 (Source: Kranz)

Below, courtesy of the San Diego Aerospace Museum Flickr Stream (SDAM), is a more recent photograph of Wittman guiding one of his racers he built in 1948 that he called "Little Bonzo."

S.J. Wittman & "Little Bonzo" Date & Location Unknown (Source: SDAM)

Wittman and his wife died in April 1995 in a crash of another one of the airplanes he designed and built (not "Bonzo"). See this link for information on the crash and its aftermath, as well as excellent leads to other information.

It is ironic that an experienced designer and builder of many high-performance race planes would perish in the breakup of one of the aircraft he designed and built. The post-crash analysis of the broken craft alleged that two incompatible fabric/adhesive systems had been used to cover the airplane. Further alleged, an adhesive joint failed, causing the airplane to break up in the air. It is generally conceded, by people familiar with these kinds of fabric/adhesive applications, that any designer of Wittman's caliber should have known better.

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Dossier 2.1.13

UPLOADED: 01/07/06 REVISED: 02/19/07, 10/30/07, 11/28/08, 01/12/15

 
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I'm looking for information and photographs of p0ilot Wittman and his 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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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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