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Aircraft photos - 1936 - 1938

From Boston, MA and Hartford, CT airports

By , Apr. 2007. Updated June 8, 2012.

Here is a collection of 37 photographs that my Dad took, mostly when he was a teenage aviation enthusiast, during the years 1936 and 1938. The photos were labelled in his ancient little black scrapbook, and I transcribed them here. He used an inexpensive box camera, probably a  Kodak "Brownie," to take these, and their quality is mediocre. The originals are small, about the size of a modern wallet-size photo.  My scans capture about all the detail available on the originals.

He took these at three airports:

Military airplanes: fighters, bombers, observation planes

Civil aircraft: small high-winged monoplanes, larger passenger carriers

One of the civil airplanes shown here is the Stinson Reliant, a very popular personal airplane for the wealthy of the era, including Connecticut Governor Trumbull.  There are other intriguing labels on the fuselage of some of these planes. The Hartford Courant owned one; I suppose for its reporters' mobility, or perhaps the executives.  Then there is the Curtiss-Wright Condor, a rather large bi-plane, apparently operated as a passenger craft by American Airlines.

My thanks to John Underwood and Ronald Price for adding additional details on these airplanes and correcting some errors.

Don't miss the picture of Charles Lindbergh at the bottom. My Dad did not take that picture, but he got it from a local photo developer, who apparently passed around a few copies of it to his friends and neighbors. You can see that same photo in various places, but at this point, it surely is in the public domain.

Civil airplanes - general aviation: Stinson Reliants and others

Stinson 105

Stinson 105
Brainard Field
Kitty Hawk?, NC 241H

Fleet Model 1, NC 241H
Brainard Field,

Powered by a 110HP Wright engine, it was owned by Ray Mathison and Norma Playdon of Rockville, CT, between 1937-41.

Beechcraft B17E

Beech B17L, NC12598

This was a demonstrator until sold in South America on a sales promotional tour by O.J. Whitney, owner Beech Aircraft Sales of NYC and a director of Pan American Air Lines.

Luscombe 8 Phantom

Luscombe 4, aka Model 90 or Sprite, NC1344?

Equipped with a Warner 90HP engine, this Luscombe was an interim development between the Phantom and the mass-produced Model 8 Silvaire series. Only four or five built and the last one is now in California.

Fairchild 24

Fairchild Model 24 C8FS
Boston Airport
July 21, 1936
Beechcraft 17

Beechcraft C17B, NC17073

Operated by Inter City Air of Boston, which was a Bob & Nancy Love charter/sales operation. NC17073 was flown by Jackie Cochran on occasion.

Gov. Trumbull's Stinson Reliant

Gov. Trumbull's Stinson SR7B Reliant, NC16139
Rentschler Field
Stinson Reliant

Stinson Reliant
Hartford Times' SR8C, NC16121

fuselage logo "The Hartford Times - First in News"
Stinson Reliant

Stinson SR5A Reliant
Could be either Trumbull's earlier NC14166 or Hartford Times, NC14150.
Rentschler Field

Stinson SM8A

Stinson SM8A

Civil airplanes - Racers: "Time Flies" and a Laird Racer

Laird Racer

Laird LCW300, NC14803
Boston Airport, Shobe Airlines hangar
August 8, 1936

This rare Laird biplane, made by E.M. (Matty) Laird, was owned for several years by a gent named Charles Paine. While not a racer, the airplane was close kin to Doolittle's "Super Solution." Paine also owned an early Granville Gee Bee Model E.

Time Flies - Granville racer

"Time Flies" - Granville racer

Frank Hawks' racer, the last Granville (see GeeBee) racer. Designed by Howell Miller.
Last flown by Earl Ortman in 1942. It broke apart over East Hartford, CT; Ortman parachuted safely.
Time Flies

"Time Flies"

Civil - passenger airliners: Stinson Trimotors, Douglas DC-3, Lockheed Electra, etc.

Stinson Tri-motor

Stinson Tri-motor, Model T
East Boston
1936

Boston & Maine - Central Vermont Airways
Stinson Trimotor

Stinson Tri-motor, Model U
East Boston
1936

American Airlines
Stinson Trimotor

Stinson Trimotor, Model A
American Airlines hangar
Stinson Trimotor

Stinson Tri-motor, Model A
E. Boston
1936
Curtiss-Wright Condor

Curtiss-Wright Condor, NC12396

American Airlines
Lockheed Electra National Airways hangar

Lockheed Electra, NC 16056
National Airways hangar
1936

Boston & Maine - Central Vermont Airways
Douglas DC3

Douglas DC3
Douglas DST Sleeper

Douglas DST Sleeper

"an idea that didn't work out"

Military - Observation, Pursuit, and Trainers: Curtiss Falcons; Douglas O-25, O-38; Seversky; etc.

Curtiss O-1 Falcon

Curtiss O-1 Falcon (1920's)
East Boston Airport
1936
Curtiss O-1 Falcon

Curtiss Falcon (1930's)
East Boston Airport
1936


tbd
Douglas O38

Douglas O38's
Douglas O38

Douglas O38
Boston Airport
August 8, 1936
Douglas O-25

Douglas O-25
Boston Airport
August 8, 1936
Consolidated Fleet Trainer

Fleet Trainer, Model 7, NC62V
Boston Airport
August 8, 1936

Personal plane of Earl D. Osborn, who manufactured EDO floats at College Point. Douglas Dolphin was the company's principal customer in 1931-32 and a total of 55 were built, military and civil.

Northrop A-17

Northrop A-17
E. Boston
Douglas BT-2B

Douglas BT-2B (O-38???)
E. Boston
P-30
Consolidated P-30
Brainard Field, Hartford, CT
1938
P-30
Consolidated P-30
Brainard Field, Hartford, CT
1938
Seversky fighters
Seversky fighters

Military planes - Bombers: Douglas B-18 Bolo, Martin B-10

Douglas B-18 Bolo Bomber

Douglas B-18 Bolo Bomber

Douglas B-18 Bolo Bomber

Douglas B-18 Bolo Bomber, nose
Martin B-10 Bomber

Martin B-10 Bomber, of VB-10, from Langley Field, VA
at Boston Airport
Douglas Dolphin

Douglas Dolphin
East Boston
1936

Only 15 built in 1934
Martin B-10 Bomber

Martin B-10 Bomber

Three other photographs, not from 1936-38 set (not taken by my Dad)

De Haviland DH-4

De Haviland DH-4
1922
Charles Lindbergh in Hartford, CT

Charles Lindbergh, riding with J.H. Trumbull (left) and Houghton Bulkeley (right)
Main Street, Hartford, near City Hall
1927
Martin MB-1

Martin MP, a 1919-20 version of the bomber built for the Post Office Dept. Only six built.

Approximately 1922