Planning committee for the YMBC "Air Circus," to be held June 13, 1937. The group meets around a luncheon table. Pictured, left to right, are unidentified, M.J. M'Caslin, chairman aviation committee, unidentified, James P. Lesher, President YMBC, Arthur Angove, past president YMBC. The Air Circus would draw over 50,000 spectators to Mueller-Harkins Airfield to view a variety of events including races, stunt flying and a parachute jump by Seattle's "Batman." (filed with Argentum under D768-11; also numbered D779-3)

Air shows--Tacoma--1930-1940; Events--Tacoma--1930-1940; Young Mens Business Club (Tacoma);

Nearly 50,000 spectators watched as Tommy Thompson, the "Bat Man", attempted to soar over Mueller-Harkins airport on June 13, 1937 at the first Tacoma Air Circus. When he stepped from the plane that had carried him aloft, a gust of wind tore the canvas webbing that supported his wings, and spinning like a top, he plunged toward the earth. Luckily he was wearing two parachutes. Although the first became tangled in his wings, the second brought him safely to land - although one of his wings was bent. The air circus was sponsored by the Young Men's Business Club of Tacoma. (T. Times, TNT)

Air shows--Tacoma--1930-1940; Young Men's Business Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1930-1940; Events--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Artistic view of hanger, blimp and crew. Special hanger built at Fort Lewis to house the new 105 feet long airship.Men from across the United States make up the 125 member 3rd Balloon Company under Major M. E. McHugo. (T.Times, 3/11/1938, p.1).

Balloons (Aircraft)--Fort Lewis; Balloonists; Air pilots--Fort Lewis; Military personnel--Fort Lewis; Fort Lewis (Wash.);

Close-up of portrait of Army Air Corps blimp pilot Master Sergeant A. E. Miller seated in the two-man motorized undercarriage of the blimp. (T.Time, 3/11/1938, p. 1).

Balloons (Aircraft)--Fort Lewis; Balloonists; Air pilots--Fort Lewis; Military personnel--Fort Lewis; Fort Lewis (Wash.); Miller, A.E.;

A Control Line Model Airplane Meet took place at Tacoma Stadium Bowl. The rescue helicopter from McCord Field made a special appearance at the event. The helicopter arrived and gracefully landed, impressing the large Tacoma crowd. The event was sponsored by the Tacoma Young Men's Business Club (T. Times, 1/27/47, p. 47).

Helicopters--Tacoma; Search & rescue operations; Stadium Bowl (Tacoma); Military air shows--Tacoma; Spectators--Tacoma;

Nancy Savidge, former Navy WAVE who served during World War II, is the first woman training under the GI Bill flight program at Ben Barry's Sky Harbor. Nancy will be flying a "Lucky Piper Cub" plane, and will be the first woman at the flight school to obtain a private pilot rating. Barry's Sky Harbor is reported to be the oldest flight school near Tacoma, it was established in 1937. There are 20 students currently enrolled at the school in the government approved program. The school is located on Highway 99, near the Puyallup River Bridge. (T. Times, 6/3/48, p. 4).

Airplanes--Tacoma; Airports--Tacoma; Airplane wings; Flight training--Tacoma; Aeronautics--Tacoma; Barry's Sky Harbor (Tacoma); Savidge, Nancy;

Publicity shots made at airfield, CAA. The Tacoma Squadron, Civil Air Patrol sponsored the Tacoma Air Show August 19, 1948, at Spanaway Sky Ranch. The exhibition was for the benefit of the cadets' treasury and funds were used for the purchase of new equipment for the unit. Major Orville French, commanding officer of the squadron, left, shows tickets to Joe Sim, College of Puget Sound student and former Air Force pilot who took an active part in the air show. (TNT, 8/22/1948, p.A-5)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Civil Air Patrol (Tacoma); Stunt flying--Tacoma--1940-1950; Airports--Tacoma--1940-1950; Spanaway Sky Ranch (Spanaway); French, Orville; Sim, Joe; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950; Publicity;

On July 28, 1948, this unidentified man, possibly the Bart's Drive-In airplane pilot, had landed his small plane on an ocean beach. It appears that he had made a quick stop for razor clams as his shovels and metal cans seem to indicate. Publicity photo ordered by O'Connell-Ragan advertising agency. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Airplanes--Tacoma; Air pilots--Tacoma; Bart's Drive-In (Tacoma); Advertising--Tacoma; Advertising agencies--Tacoma; O'Connell-Ragan Co. (Tacoma); Publicity photographs;

Students from the Clover Park High School pre-flight class were treated to an air show at McChord Field. The students, under direction of Fred Miner and Wilbur Snyder, were taken on an extended tour of flight operations, flight service, the weather station and the maintenance hangars. Three small airplanes are performing in the sky over the air field. Ordered by Kiwanis Club, H. Barker. (11/23/1952, p.B-6) TPL-5504

Airplanes--Tacoma; McChord Field (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Clover Park High School (Lakewood); School field trips--Lakewood;

Crowds view the crumpled remains of the Boeing Stratoliner, which crashed near Alder, Washington, 30 miles southeast of Tacoma, on March 18, 1939. Close-up of wrecked airplane debris. The experimental craft, costing $500,000, and weighing 20 tons, was designed to revolutionize cross country transportation by air. March 18th was supposed to be uneventful "Test Flight #19," however the aircraft inexplicably crashed, killing the crew of ten. The Air Safety Board in June of 1939 ruled the accident was due to structural failure. The plane went into an inadvertent spin, subsequent to a stall at an altitude of approximately 11,000 feet. The board felt that the failure of the wings and horizontal tail surfaces were due to excessive loads, cause by air pressure. The loads were in excess of what the wings and tail were designed for. (T. Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1; 6/2/1939, pg. 2)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

Evelyn Burleson beside her airplane, "Miss Liberty", at Mueller-Harkins Airport. On October 1, 1941, the Tacoma aviatrix flew her pictured Taylorcraft monoplane nonstop from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico. She arrived on the morning of the 2nd at 7:30a.m., completing the 1700 mile flight in 16 1/2 hours, 3 hours ahead of schedule. The plane was painted especially for the flight in white with red and blue stripes, a torch bearing Liberty and emblazoned with "WAD" (Women Also Defend.)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Burleson, Evelyn; Monoplanes;

Aerial views of Evelyn Burleson in her airplane, "Miss Liberty," in flight from Canada to Mexico in October of 1941. Tacoma Times photographer Bob Richards and pilot Vernon Hubert met up with her over the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. yards and accompanied her as far as Kelso, snapping these pictures enroute. (T. Times 10/2/1941, pg. 1)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Burleson, Evelyn; Aerial photographs--1940-1950; Monoplanes;

Aerial views of Evelyn Burleson in her airplane, "Miss Liberty," in flight from Canada to Mexico. The Taylorcraft monoplane was painted especially for the trip: white with red and blue stripes, a depiction of Miss Liberty and the letters "WAD," for Women Also Defend. (T. Times 10/2/1941, pg. 1)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Burleson, Evelyn; Aerial photographs--1940-1950; Monoplanes;

On October 1, 1941, Mrs. Evelyn Burleson flew her Taylorcraft monoplane, the "Miss Liberty," nonstop from Vancouver, B.C., to Tiajuana Mexico. She arrived on the morning of the 2nd at 7:30a.m., completing the 1700 mile flight in 16 1/2 hours, 3 hours ahead of schedule. (T. Times 10/2/1941, pg. 1)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Burleson, Evelyn; Aerial photographs--1940-1950; Monoplanes;

On October 1, 1941, Tacoma aviatrix Mrs. Evelyn Burleson took off from Vancouver, B.C. for a solo nonstop flight to Tijuana, Mexico. She flew a petite Taylorcraft monoplane called "Miss Liberty." The plane was painted white with red and blue stripes, a torch bearing Liberty and emblazoned with "WAD" (Women Also Defend.) The plane usually held 12 gallons of gasoline, but 80 gallon tanks were installed for the flight. Tacoma Times photographer Bob Richards and pilot Vernon Hubert took to the air over Pierce County to snap these pictures. They communicated with Mrs. Burleson by sign language as she carried no radio due to weight restrictions. Thursday morning, October 2nd, 16 1/2 hours after leaving Vancouver, she arrived in Tijuana, a 1700 mile flight. (T. Times 10-2-1941 p.1)

Airplanes--Tacoma--1940-1950; Burleson, Evelyn; Aerial photographs--1940-1950; Monoplanes;

ca. 1950. Copy of old prints of airplanes pinned to a board. People boarding United Airlines. Large group of people next to Pacific Air transport air mail airplane. Ordered by WSHS, Chapin Foster, 2/20/50. (Argentum)

Airplanes; Airline industry;

Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. Large group of people in front of and on ramp to inside of airplane. This photograph is possibly connected to the inaugural direct flight of Pacific Northern Airlines from Portland, Seattle and Tacoma to Anchorage, Alaska in October of 1951. It took the DC-4 flagliner 7.5 hours of non-stop flying from Boeing Field to get to Elmendorf Field in Anchorage. Chamber of Commerce presidents from Seattle, Portland and Tacoma were among the dignitaries participating in the event. (TNT 10-4-1951, A-8-article on flight only)

Airplanes;

Copy of customer print. A man appears to be studying plans on perhaps how to complete the body of the aircraft behind him. The fuselage is not finished although windows have been positioned. The plane appears to have been largely constructed of plywood. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Original print was imprinted 11-23-1955 with "SM 197293" also on print. Copy of print was made in March, 1958.

Airplane industry; Airplanes;

Copies of a customer's prints, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Actual date of photographs is unknown. A man works on the engine housing of the plane, attaching plywood to its curved surface.

Plywood; Airplanes; Airplane industry;

Copies of a customer's prints, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Actual date of photographs is unknown. Two men can be seen through the doorway to the right of what will be the cockpit of the new plane. The plane is being built of plywood and the workers mark a sheet of it to the needed dimensions.

Plywood; Airplanes; Airplane industry;

An FH110 helicopter practices landing on a temporary helipad on January 19, 1971, at So. 19th & "J" Sts. The pad is marked with an enormous "H." St. Joseph's Medical Evaluation personnel may have been testing the feasibility of this temporary site. The church in the background is believed to be St. John Baptist Church. Photograph ordered by St. Joseph Hospital.

Helicopters--Tacoma--1970-1980;

On April 28, 1927, a group of interested businessmen made the first Tacoma to Paradise Valley tourist trip by air. They were inspecting the possibilities of regular tourist flights from Tacoma to "Mount Tacoma" (Mount Rainier), making sights usually available only to climbers possible for the average tourist. Pictured, left to right, are Paul H. Sceva (Assistant to the General Manager of Rainier National Park Co.), Frank E. Roberts (Tacoma News Tribune), Vernon Bookwalter (pilot) and Vern C. Gorst (President of Pacific Air Transport.) The flight was made on a six passenger Fokker monoplane owned by Pacific Air, the coast contract mail carrier. (TNT 4/29/1927, pg. 1)

ca. 1929. Herb Fahey, Lockheed test pilot, presents Harold Bromley with a lucky rabbit's foot prior to Bromley's attempt to fly the Lockheed Vega monoplane the "City of Tacoma" from Tacoma to Tokyo. The woman standing between the men is believed to be Bromley's first wife. The rabbit's foot did not give off much good luck since Bromley was blinded by gasoline spewing from overfilled tanks and crashed during his first attempt at the trans Pacific crossing on take off. Fahey was the test pilot on the second "City of Tacoma" which crashed in September of 1929 during testing. Fahey suffered a broken arm and skull fractures. He recovered but was killed months later test piloting another Lockheed plane. BGN-019

ca. 1929. The first "City of Tacoma" monoplane poised at the top of a ramp designed to give the plane more momentum on take off. On July 28, 1929, Harold Bromley intended to enter the history books as the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from Tacoma to Tokyo. The early dawn flight was scheduled to take off from Tacoma Field, an area that is now part of McChord Air Force base. The large orange Vega crashed on takeoff. BGN-310K

ca. 1929. Herb Fahey, Lockheed test pilot, presents Harold Bromley with his lucky rabbit's foot prior to Bromley's attempt to pilot the Lockheed Vega "City of Tacoma," shown in the background, from Tacoma to Tokyo. The monoplane crashed on take off July 28, 1929 when the tanks were overfilled and Bromley was blinded by flying gasoline. The plane was insured and Lockheed constructed a new plane, using some of the parts of the original. Fahey was the test pilot when the second plane crashed in September of 1929 during tests in California. Fahey was seriously injured but recovered, only to be killed months later in an unrelated Lockheed crash.

ca. 1930. Harold Bromley's fourth airplane, the "City of Tacoma, " designed for his Tokyo to Tacoma flight. The red single engine high wing monoplane was built by Emsco Aircraft of Downey, California. It had a 60 foot "high lift" wing and was 35 feet from nose to rudder. The 425 horsepower Pratt & Whitney engine gave it a cruising speed of 115 mph. The plane could hold 1020 gallons of gasoline and 45 gallons of oil and would weigh over 10,000 pounds on take off. Bromley would now be accompanied on his flight by Australian Harold Gatty, serving as navigator, radio operator and co-pilot. The plane could fly 45 hours nonstop. Bromley reversed his trans-Pacific plans, now planning to fly Tokyo-Tacoma to take advantage of winds that would increase the plane's speed. They had the capability to fly 4,840 miles, the distance between the two cities was 4,779 miles, a 61 mile safety margin. (Bowen #269)

Close-up of airplane and Franklin automobile at Camp Lewis on October 8, 1926. The car has Seattle plates. See Boland image B15775 for another view of plane and car along with pilot and two men. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Franklin Co.

Airplanes--Camp Lewis; Franklin automobile;

Blond Hollywood actress Ruth Taylor is pictured shaking hands with Mayor M.G. Tennent while the mayor is aboard the "City of Tacoma" airplane at the Mueller-Harkins airport (site of the present day Clover Park Technical College) on February 8, 1928. Miss Taylor, star of the silent film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," was briefly in Tacoma while on a nationwide tour promoting the film. She would make a personal appearance at the Broadway Theater where her film would be shown shortly. The other three men in the photograph were not identified although one of them is believed to be J. Barton ("Jack") Story, pilot, and president of the newly organized Olympic Aeronautical Corporation. On January 31, 1928, Olympic Aeronautical announced plans to fly tourists around Mt. Tacoma (Rainier) beginning May 1st. Photograph ordered by the Olympic Aeronautical Corporation. (TNT 1-31-28, p. 1-article on Olympic Aeronautical; TDL 2-8-28, p. 2-article on Miss Taylor) TPL-5030; G12.1-082

Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tennent, Melvin Green; Mayors--Tacoma--1920-1930; Olympic Aeronautical Corporation (Tacoma); Taylor, Ruth; Actresses;

Aviation's first talking airplane, "The Voice of the Sky," visited Tacoma on May 12, 1929. The crew posed next to the the Fokker USA trimotor passenger airplane parked at Mueller-Harkins airport: (L-R): Lew Gower, pilot; H.E. Wendt, mechanic; B. Knapp, crew chief; Bert McGrath, announcer. The plane, C-1661, has large advertising for Standard Ethyl gasoline painted on its side. This was the first Pacific Coast visit by the "Voice of the Sky" which amazed listeners and viewers with animated audible chatter and music from 2500 feet up in the air. TPL-2020; G12.1-029 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 5-12-29, A-7-article; TDL 5-14-29, p. 1)

Airline industry; Airplanes--Tacoma--1920-1930; Gower, Lew; Wendt, H.E.; Knapp, B.; McGrath, Bert;

Sunday, April 15, 1928, saw the inauguration of the new American Railway Express Co. air transport service, provided for Tacoma in conjunction with the Pacific Air Transport Co. fleet of mail carriers. It would be the first outgoing air parcel service under this new arrangement. The pilot pictured above smilingly accepts delivery of a slender box from an unidentified official before his northbound departure. Hundreds of people had gathered at the Mueller-Harkins Airport to celebrate this new service. (TNT 4-16-28, p. 7, TDL 4-15-28, 8-A) BGN-186, TPL-1597

Transport planes--Tacoma; Air pilots--Tacoma; American Railway Express Co. (Tacoma); Shipping--1920-1930; Air mail service--1920-1930;