LOCKHEED VEGA Model 5 NC869E

THE “CENTURY OF PROGRESS” DOPPLEGANGER

This airplane is a Lockheed Vega Model 5 (S/N 69; ATC #93) manufactured May 16, 1929 by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, CA.  It left the factory with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine (S/N 1677) of 420-450 HP.  It was a five-place airplane, weighing 4,033 pounds gross.This PDF download (144KB) gets you the one-page NASM record for this airplane. It lived one life, then became an alter ego.

S/N 69 sold on June 1, 1929 to Schlee-Brock Aircraft Corporation, Detroit, MI, distributors for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.  They sold it to Cromwell Air Lines, Inc., San Angelo, TX on January 20, 1930.  We find NC869E landing at Tucson on August 2, 1930.  It was flown by Jimmie Mattern, carrying a single passenger identified only as “Henshaw”.  Based in San Angelo, TX they were westbound from El Paso, TX to Los Angeles, CA.  Mattern worked for Cromwell Air Lines at the time.

On January 29, 1931, NC869E was transferred to Carl G. Cromwell of San Angelo.  Later that year, Mr. Cromwell was killed in an automobile accident in Pennsylvania on September 26, 1931.  Luella L. Cromwell, executor, sold NC869E on November 21, 1931 to James J. “Jimmie” Mattern, Dallas, TX.

Mattern had NC869E rebuilt and fitted for a round-the-world flight.  It was named “Century of Progress” and was painted blue with cream trim. A new cockpit was fitted behind the wing and dual controls were installed.  He and Bennett Griffin began their journey by flying from New York to Newfoundland to Ireland to Berlin, beginning July 5, 1932.

Below is an image of the airplane essentially as Mattern flew it through Tucson in 1930. The photo was taken in Berlin on July 6, 1932. This Vega crashed in Russia after leaving Berlin. Parts were salvaged and shipped back to the USA.

Back in America, the fuselage and tail surfaces of a former Standard Oil Vega, NC106 (c/n118) were used with the wing and landing gear of NC869E (c/n69) in a rebuild at Lockheed (Phoenix arisen, see NC7440). Even though the majority of the rebuilt plane was NC106, Mattern kept the NC869E registration and the same constructor's number (c/n69). Since the fuselage of NC106 was painted with the Standard Oil Stanavo Eagle paint scheme, Mattern simply elaborated on it during the rebuild.

This rebuilt "Eagle"-scheme Vega (converted back to standard flight controls) was the one he used on his solo around-the-world attempt in 1933. And, once again, the plane was named "Century of Progress".

The "new" airplane was flown by Mattern, taking off on June 3, 1933, and arriving June 4 in Norway. Image, below, from unidentified contemporary newspaper.

Alas, the global flight was not to be.  On the next leg of the journey (to Oslo then to Moscow) NC869E suffered an accident (result of a frozen oil line) at Borisov, USSR. Mattern was missing for weeks, but he survived. After no small diplomatic juggling, a Russian pilot carried him to Nome, Alaska. Mattern flew another plane from Nome back to New York.

The"Century of Progress" was badly damaged. No further information.

UPLOADED: 04/19/06 REVISED: 4/20/06, 04/29/06, 05/01/06, 01/16/07