This aircraft is a Travel Air 4000, S/N 168. The Travel Air Manufacturing Co., Wichita, KS, built it on 2/15/1927. It was fitted with a Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine of 200 HP, S/N 7222. It weighed 2,413 pounds. It was sold on 2/26/1927 to William A. Burke, Okmulgee, OK.

The airplane arrived from El Paso and landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield on 8/6/1927 at 3:20 PM. The pilot was Mr. Burke. He stayed overnight and departed westbound at 10:00 AM for San Francisco. While he was on the ground, the airplane was inspected by the U.S. Border Patrol. Mr. Burke was killed on 6/1/1928 in a crash of his Stearman in Spavinaw Lake, OK. Mrs. Nell P. Burke, Denver, CO, then sold the Travel Air as part of Mr. Burke’s estate.

It was purchased on 6/14/1928 by Robertson Aircraft Corp. of Missouri. It was, “rebuilt, overhauled and re-covered at the factory” and “remodeled to accommodate mail only…with Whirlwind T-5 engine c/n 7751.” It was soon involved in an accident in St. Louis, MO on 9/15/1928. The pilot, Julius W. Johannpeter (transport license #2287), 5034 Thrush Ave., St. Louis, MO, was uninjured. The plane suffered damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder was smashed. One lower longeron was broken. The damage was repaired at the Travel Air factory.

Subsequently, it was sold on 1/13/1930 to Peter Kelly, 1130 Fernhill, Detroit, MI with Wright J-5 engine c/n 9630 installed. A month later, on 2/18/1930, the airplane was confiscated by the sheriff at Zanesville, OH for transporting liquor (Prohibition was still the law of the land). It was then sold on 3/11/1930 to Jesse Anderson, 566 Maple Ave., Newark, OH. The fuselage and tail surfaces were re-covered at 103:15 hours total time on 4/22/1932.

It was purchased on 4/3/1933 by Kelson K. Laurence, 495 Merrill Ave., Columbus, OH. It suffered an accident on 10/15/1933, and was immediately sold on 10/15/1933 to Joseph C. Mackey, 435 Berkeley Road, Columbus, OH, then on 8/1/1934 to the Mackey Flying Service, Findlay Airport, Findlay, OH.

During the Travel Air's life with Mackey, the tail wheel was replaced, two Wright engines (c/n B9037 and c/n 168) were installed, and the airplane was “equipped for advertising purposes with neon sign along entire span of both lower wings and a neon whorl in front of engine. Also a siren.” It had 598:10 hours total time on 9/18/1934. The neon was removed on 1/7/1935 and Wright Whirlwind engine c/n B9037 was reinstalled.

On 10/11/1935 it was purchased by William Miller, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY. Mr. Miller resold it on 11/2/1935 to Mrs. Florence E. Newkirke, 574 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, NY. Pilot Troy Webster Newkirke wrecked the airplane at Roosevelt Field, Mineola, NY on 8/12/1936. There was damage to the wing struts, wheel, top of rudder and vertical stabilizer, ribs in the center section, and to the propeller and cowl. It was repaired and a new right upper wing installed as of 8/26/1936. It had 730:15 hours total time. It had flown about 66 hours per year over the past two years.

It had another accident on 11/18/1936 (pilot not known) and the airplane was sold “as is” the same day for salvage parts only to F & G Engine Co., Hangar D., Roosevelt Field, Mineola, NY. It was sold again on 2/16/1937 to Frank Romano, Pioneer Aircraft Co., Teterboro Airport, Hasbrouck Hgts., NJ. It was “intended to re-build”, but no license application was received and its registration was cancelled as of 2/24/1937.

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UPLOADED: 6/9/05 REVISED: 11/18/08