TRAVEL AIR B-6000 NC9914

TO MEXICO, AND BACK, TO MEXICO, AND BACK, AND TO MEXICO

This airplane is a B-6000 Travel Air (S/N 1079; ATC #130) manufactured on June 24, 1929 by the Travel Air Company, Wichita, KS. It came from the factory with a Wright J-6 engine (S/N 10512) of 300 HP. It was a six-place airplane, weighing 4,230 pounds gross.

It was purchased by D.C. Warren, a Travel Air distributor, of San Francisco, CA. Warren, in turn, sold it to Theodore F. Brix of Fesno, CA. Brix owned the Brix Rubber Co., Inc., a distributor of Goodyear Tires. Brix was also President of "Western Coast Airways". I have no information as to whether the airplane was used in air transport. A "new-type factory stabilizer" was installed and approved on June 2, 1930.

On March 5, 1931, the airplane was purchased by Vern Speich of Santa Ana, CA. Speich sold the airplane to A.L. Eastman of Santa Ana (Eastman held a student pilot permit) on October 27, 1931.

Speich flew NC9914 to Tucson on January 3, 1932. He was solo, arriving from Imperial, CA enroute south to Douglas, AZ on the Mexican border. On January 18, 1932, a telegram from Speich and Eastman, addressed from the Hotel Panuco, Mexico City, requested cancellation of the registration of NC9914, as, "ship will be used in Mexico." The U.S. registration was promptly cancelled by wire on January 18, 1932.

According to the NASM record, the airplane was flown under Mexican registration X-BAFE during 1932-33. On February 17, 1933, the airplane was sold to Edward G. Bush, Alhambra Airport, Alhambra, CA. Officially, and this is confusing, on April 11, 1933, the airplane was again sold to Vern Speich. The record goes on to say that Bush overhauled and re-covered the airplane as of August 16, 1933, four months after the resale to Speich, and the U.S. registration was restored on August 26th. It had accumulated 865:50 flight hours. No mention of Speich is made again in the record.

Regardless, the airplane, was now in U.S. clothing. However, on February 6, 1934 Bush wired from Mexico City a request to cancel the U.S. registration again, which was done as of February 26th. Just as confusing (via Bush's death, perhaps), the airplane sold on April 13, 1935 (by one Margot Valdes Peza -- Mrs. Bush) to R.L. McCreery of Los Angeles, CA. He cancelled the X-BAFE license again. The airplane was inspected and approved on April 16, 1935 under ATC # GR-2-138, with 1,052:50 total flight hours.

According to the record, the dual controls were removed and one chair was added to the rear of the cabin as of May 16, 1935, total time 1,058:10 flight hours. Repairs to the landing gear were made on December 9, 1935.

On December 20, 1935 NC9914 was sold to Floyd Rhyno of Pasadena, CA. At 1,140:05 hours a tail wheel was installed, and landing flares were permanently removed. On June 5, 1936 Rhyno sold the airplane to Charles H. Babb of Glendale, CA. Babb sold it for $4,000 on June 20, 1936 to Compania de Transportes Aereos Del Pacifico, S.A. On July 7, 1936, the Mexican Civil Aeronautics Department requested cancellation of the U.S. registration. It was cancelled on August 6, 1936 and the airplane was reported in Mexico on August 27th.

The final disposition reads: "Sold to Mexican purchaser 6/20/36. No further information."

UPLOADED: 03/27/06 REVISED: