The Harold B. "Hap" Russell Photograph and Document Collection

The information that follows was acquired during my meeting with Russell's son, Ed, during October 2006. Please follow the link above for credits.

Hap Russell is a very special pilot to us, because he holds the record for most landings at the Davis-Monthan Airfield during the period that the Register was in existence there. According to the database, he landed 83 times between July 12, 1928 and June 20, 1930. He landed year-round, in good weather and bad, with his landings pretty evenly distributed among the months of the year.

He landed with at least 7 different aircraft (he did not identify by number a couple of the Fokkers he flew to the Airfield). Most of his landings were as Chief Pilot for Standard Air Lines. Most of his landings were made in four Fokker liners (NC3317, NC8011, NC9724, NC7888) used by Standard for service between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Douglas and El Paso. He also flew a Fokker F-10A, NC456E.

The photo, right, is a vignette from an advertisement for the flying school operated by Aero Corporation of California (see image below) founded by Jack Frye, Paul Richter and Walter Hamilton.

Russell was Chief Pilot for Standard Air Lines. When Standard was merged with Western Air Express, he worked for that company (his landing with NC456E was during that time). He then went to work for American Airways and then, after another exhilirating corporate merging and readjustment, American Airlines (see below). He remained with American for 35 years as employee number 11.

The excellent photograph below from 1929 shows most of the key players of the short-lived Standard Air Lines, including our pilot Hap Russell (third from left).

Left to right, President of Standard Air Lines Jack Frye, Pilot William Kingsley, Chief Pilot Hap Russell, Vice President Operations Walter Hamilton (signed the Register twice as a passenger), Pilot Johnnie Martin, Pilot Donald Cornell (did not sign the Register), Pilot Harold Kelsey and Vice President & General Manager Paul Richter, Jr. Officers Frye and Richter were also pilots of the line. Missing from this lineup is another Standard pilot, Lee Willey.

The airplane is a Fokker trimotor, probably the one the company called "The Arizonan". Note the automobile at rear (anybody know the make/model?) with fire extinguisher and observer. Photo loaned to us by Ruth Richter Holden, daughter of Paul. See her Web site about her father here.

03/11/10 The photograph below is shared with us by friend of dmairfield.org, John Underwood. It shows Captain Russell at top, left rear as pilot of an American Airlines DC-3. His copilot with the white scarf is Register pilot Paul Carpenter. The date, location and circumstance of this formal photograph are unknown. Does anyone KNOW?

Hap Russell, Top, Left, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Underwood)

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Dossier 2.1.18

THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 6/29/05 REVISED: 01/03/06,12/21/07, 03/11/10