Kingman’s Aviation History Walapai Field Or Hualapai Field Kingman’s First Airfield

Kingman’s Aviation History

Walapai Field

Or

Hualapai Field

Kingman’s First Airfield

December 1918—The first use of Walla­pai Field, is to test take-offs and landings at the new airstrip, to see if the surface was acceptable. Also, see how wind conditions would affect the aircraft. The aviators were pleased with the field. The field size is 1000 by 1800 ft. To handle as many aircraft that would land on a daily basis. (mcm)

January 18, 1919—Mohave County Field chosen for U. S. Aerial Mail Service Planes, the headline on the front page of the Mohave County Miner. Kingman would become a stop on an airmail route, from east to west. Wallapai Field is a link to the Winslow and Needles fields. The Kingman Post Office will become the distributing center for a wide territory. There would be daily flights. (mcm)

February 22, 1919—Army Aviators Spend Several Days in Town, front page article from the Mohave County Miner. Flyers for Elling­ton Field, Tx made a stop in Kingman. They were flying de Haviland D4s and they were coming from March Field, Ca. They had some trouble with the weather conditions. They all made it to Kingman and were put up by the towns’ folk. They were heading back to Texas. Before heading back, they wanted to fly over the Grand Canyon and take some movie footage of their flight over the canyon. (mcm)

March 1, 1919—Motion Pictures from Aero­plane Grand Canyon, ‘Playground

of Gods’, on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Louis Lewyn, the official photographer, shot this stunning film with the help of the Ellington Field aviators. The film was shot in the past week. (mcm)

April 26, 1919—Army Aeroplane Pays Hurried Visit to Kingman Field, on the front page of the Mohave County Miner. Captain Appleby and Lt. Sturcken of Rockwell Field, Ca. (near San Diego) were flying back to their home field after visiting Yuma, Phoe­nix, and Prescott. Kingman was their last stop, they were checking on air currents of each airfield for a study. They also brought an invitation to Prescott Frontier Days for early July 1919. They also liked Wallapai Field. (mcm)

November 22, 1919—New Air Mail Route Would Take in Kingman, a small article on the front page of the Mohave County Miner. A bill was introduced last Tuesday (Nov. 18) by California Congressman Randall. The new air route is from Chicago to San Fran­cisco, starting at Chicago, Kansas City, Wich­ita, Albuquerque and Los Angeles. Kingman would be part of the Albuquerque – Los Angeles leg. This route is 266 miles longer than Chicago – San Francisco route, but it avoids the high mountains and blizzards of the northern route. (mcm)

July 10, 1920—Airplane Flight over King­man Soon, a small article from the front page of the Mohave County Miner. The Chamber of Commerce received a letter from Major Carl Spatz, Air Service. The Let­ter as follows:

Air Service, Hqrs. Western Dept.

San Francisco, Cal.

July 2, 1920.

From: Department Air Service Officer.

To: Chamber of Commerce, Kingman, Ari­zona.

Subject: Landing Field for Airplanes.

1. An airplane flight is contemplated over the city of Kingman, Arizona, in the near fu­ture, and at that time it is planned to stop at your city to refuel the airplane. Information is therefore requested as to whether a landing field is available at or near Kingman.

2. The field should be approximately six hundred yards long in the direction of the prevailing wind, and not less than four hun­dred yards wide with a smooth surface. The country immediately surrounding the field for a distance of five or six hundred yards should be free from high obstacles such as trees, building, telephone poles, and lines, etc. A maker of white cloth in the form of a “T” should be placed on the field, the head of the “T” pointing in the direction from which the wind is coming. This “T” should be placed in the middle of the smoothest patch of ground for landing purposes.

3. Information is requested by this office as to whether a field such as described above ex­ists in the vicinity of your City and whether it can be prepared in the manner outlined.

4. An early reply would be appreciated.

CARL SPATZ,

Major, Air Service,

Department Air Service Officer.

October 2, 1920—Aeroplane will Arrive Here Monday, a small article of the Miner. Carl G. Krook received a notice on Thurs­day that plane would be here on Monday at noon from San Francisco. Gas and oil have been shipped for the aircraft. The aircraft will take pictures of the Grand Canyon and take back to San Francisco. Wallapai Field is being ready for the incoming flight. This is the first major visitor since January 1919. (mcm)

October 9, 1920—Lt. Halverton, U. S. Air Service, arrives from San Francisco. He spent several days in Kingman. On Wednes­day, Lt. Halverton and S. Greenwald from Fox (“film man” or cameraman) shot approxi­mate 250 feet of film of the Grand Canyon and snapped six or seven good stills. Some of the film shot was no good for Mr. Green­wald was air sick. The Flyers were unsuc­cessful because of the rough air currents over the rim of the canyon. They enter at a different point than the previous flyers. Lt. Halverton accessed El Tovar point of the canyon; this was the first attempt by a flyer. (mcm)

August 26, 1921—Air Man Flies from Las Vegas to Kingman, a small article on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Cloyd Clevenger and his new Cleveland aircraft flew in from Las Vegas. He picked up two passengers for a flight over Oatman, Kath­erine, and Chloride. He also did some stunt flying the other night before dark. (mcm)

December 23, 1921—May Establish Air Service L. A. to Katherine, front page article of Mohave County Miner. A report comes from Sacramento, Ca., that well-known avia­tor E. J. Moffat will try to establish airplane service from Los Angeles to Kingman with a stop at Katherine. He will map a route and make arrangements for such a service. The Katherine field will be important due to it’s location to the future Boulder Dam. Kath­erine is a mining town north of Hardyville (today it is Bullhead City). (mcm)

April 18, 1924—Motion Pictures of Grand Canyon, Boulder & Black; International Newsreel Being Made. Trip Hazardous One., on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Two de Haviland planes from Rockwell Field, Ca. landed here yesterday. The pilots are Captain Ervin and Lt. Seifert and the cameramen are Greenwald and Brockhurst of International Newsreel. That afternoon, they made an inspection trip to Diamond Creek, they flew for about 10 minutes and returned to Kingman. At 6:30 this morning, they left for Diamond Creek and will film for about 30 miles, staying on the side of El To­var. Then tomorrow, the cameramen will film the two aircraft flying down the canyon. They will use a car to get them there. They have an advantage point picked out and will film the aircraft flying below the rim. The pilots will have to be careful with the air currents. They do have parachutes. The next day, they will film Boulder and Black Canyons. After this is done, they will head back to Rockwell Field. These aerial views will help in finding a suitable site for dams along the Colorado. The film will be released through Interna­tional Newsreel. The planes came in unan­nounced. They had some difficulty in land­ing. They circled around a few times to get their bearings by looking for the cemetery. Captain Ervin said to paint a “T” facing the prevailing wind. The airfield in Las Vegas had this done and they landed there the other day. (mcm)

April 25, 1924—Some Fine Pictures of Boul­der Canyon, the front page of Mohave County Miner. This was a follow-up article of last week article. Captain Ervin and Lt. Siefert and cameramen Brockhurst and Greenwald left for San Diego on Sunday. They shot about 1200 feet of film of Colorado River country. They thanked Ray Dimmick and Willis J. Black for their assistances. The film will be out in a few weeks. (mcm)

January 2, 1925—Commercial Airplane Here, a small article on the front page of Mo­have County Miner. For the last two days, anybody in Kingman could get a ride from this airplane. If you have the nerve, the mon­ey or the desire, anyone could a take a short trip in this aircraft and fly over Kingman and vicinity. The aircraft is unknown and the pilot is unknown to the writer of this article. (mcm)

February 20, 1925—Kingman Aeroplane Landing Field to be on Air Route, an article on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Bob Hausler, a former army aviator, is looking to establish an airmail route between Al­buquerque to Los Angeles. Kingman would be an excellent airfield on the route. He is here to talk to Carl G. Krook and Willis J. Black about the future of the Kingman’s field. He made some suggestions for the Wallapai Field, by putting up a large K about thirty feet long. Also put up a pole for a windsock, to help show the direction of the wind. The windsock will be ten feet long and made of aeroplane skin. It is arriving on Wednesday. Also, Mr. Hausler is looking to provide aerial views of the Grand Canyon. Passengers trav­eling to California, on the California Limited and other Santa Fe trains could get off the train in Kingman and be taken to the airfield and flown over the Grand Canyon. (mcm)

April 17, 1925—Free Airplane Trip to Win­slow for some Young Lady, from the front page of Mohave County Miner. A young lady from Kingman could win an all expense trip to Winslow, Az. This contest is being spon­sored by Winslow Chamber of Commerce. The contestant has to get the most votes by May 12. She also can get a ride over King­man (if from she is Kingman). The trip to Winslow will also have airplane circus the Winslow Field. Bob Hausler was here explaining the contest rules. It is a penny contest. Whoever receives the most pen­nies wins. He is one of the aviators working on the Kansas City to Los Angeles air mail route. Mr. Hausler will have an inspector with him for the final inspection. Willis J. Black is a member of Airplane Committee. (mcm)

May 8, 1925—Aviators Land Here on Trip over Tri-state Airway, front page article of the Mohave County Miner. Boyd Montieth and Bob Hausler arrived here Wednesday and left the next day. They are on their final inspection of air mail route of airfields. They are flying from Albuquerque to Los Angeles. Mr. Hausler said the new cement “K” will be seen for miles. He said there would be more airplanes using this field in the near future. The Army and Navy will come this way, along with the commercial airplanes. Frank Clarke, America’s most famous stunt flyer, will be here next week. He will take the win­ner of the “Miss Kingman” for a ride in his airplane. The contest is for a young lady in town. They will fly to Winslow and watch the airplane circus, May 15 and 16. The young women vying for the title is Donelda Sites, Ethel Shell, Francis Kause, Elsie Sweeney and Vera Imus. (mcm)

May 22, 1925—Tri-State Airway Circus Last Week was Big Success, on the front page of Mohave County Miner. The air show was a success for Winslow. A lot of airplanes flew through Kingman on the way to Winslow. Miss Kingman was Ethel Shell. She enjoyed the show and other festivities at Winslow. She also represented Kingman with a job well done. After the airplane circus show was over, airplanes did make a stop over in Kingman. Captain Ervin flew through here with other pilots. They stop for a brief time to say hi to the local folks who had met him and the others at the Wallapai Field. (mcm)

June 12, 1925—Aerial Exhibition Sunday Afternoon, a small article in the Mohave County Miner. Tex Rankin from Walla Walla, Wa, C. W. Mayse from Safford and E. A. Mounts from Phoenix were here to hold a benefit air circus for the boys and girls of Kingman. Along with the aviators is Ted O. Penney a wing walker. The town folks had a chance to meet the aviators at the high school gym at 7 PM Friday. The Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls will be in charge of the Wallapai Field. They will receive 15 percent of the gross receipts, while the admission charge is 25 cents. The four boys and girls who sell the most tickets will get a plane ride. (mcm)

March 5, 1926—Air Officers Here Tuesday on Air Route, on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Captain Gil Erven of the 7th Aereo Corps stationed at Omaha and C. H. Force, Assistant Superintendant Air Mail Service, Central Division, arrived in King­man on Tuesday en route to Prescott, Az. They tried to go to Prescott but the weather was getting bad for them. So they came back to Kingman. They left the following day. They are mapping out future air mail routes to the south. (mcm)

July 9, 1926—Canyon Air Route Ready Two Months, an article on the front page of Mohave County Miner. Bob Hausler is working on getting a Fokker plane, which has three en­gines, so it is “fool proof”. The cost for this airplane is $40,000. It can carry ten passen­gers. This airplane would be assigned to fly over the Grand Canyon from Winslow to Kingman. The passengers are from the Santa Fe trains that are heading to the west. He is also look­ing at flying over the Boulder Canyon Dam or the mines of Jerome, Az. This time around Mr. Hausler has a flying fleet with him. They were coming from Prescott, Az. After doing an air show there, they landed at Wallapai Field for a break before heading to the

coast. The aviators with him are Fred Hoyt of Travel Air, Frank Clarke, Leo Nomis, Victor Fleming and Al Johnson. (mcm)

August 19, 1927—Air Service thru King­man in 60 Days?, the front page of the Mohave County Miner. Kingman could be on air­plane mail and passenger service line, from New York in the east and Los Angeles in the west. The Associated Press dispatched this article: Wichita, Kansas, August 16—Inau­guration of passenger and express service on two new airlines linking Wichita with Los Angeles within the next two months by the Travel Air Service Corporation, has an­nounce here today by J. F. Byrnes of New York, promoter. The National Air Transport has the Chicago and New York connection. The Travel Air Service Corp. has the Chi­cago and Wichita link. (mcm)

February 3, 1928—Kingman Airport may be One of Bases, a front page article of the Mohave County Miner. Kingman airfield or Wallapai Field has the possibility of becom­ing a great airport. Because it will be part of the scenic air service for the Grand Can­yon. Grand Canyon will establish an airfield soon, they will handle the service of ferry­ing passengers over the Canyon. They will fly farther north to Bryce and Zion Canyons or go east to the Painted Desert and Petri­fied Forest or go west to Vermillion Cliffs and Boulder Canyon. The Santa Fe Railroad is backing the project. The eastbound pas­sengers can fly from Kingman to the Grand Canyon. They will fly over the Grand Can­yon and will be able to join the train later as it heads to the east. Or westbound passen­gers can fly out of Winslow and fly over the Grand Canyon and fly into Kingman. These passengers will board the train and finished their trip to the west. The Mohave County Chamber of Commerce is working on a new airfield. Willis J. Black said the Wallapai Field is small for such endeavors. (mcm)

May 4, 1928—Aero Club at Flagstaff has Own Airplane, page 9 article of the Mohave County Miner. The Coconino Sun first re­ported the Flagstaff Aero Club will have a plane by May 1. The aero club is based at Kock Field. The plane is an Eaglerock with a 90 horsepower motor. The initial cost of the plane is $2,680. It will cost close to $10 an hour to fly, or learning to fly. Why not an aero club for Kingman? (mcm)

May 18, 1928—Aviators to Play Here on Sunday, May 19, the front page of the Mohave County Miner. The players will arrive by plane Saturday Night. These “Flying Ball Players” are from the United State Aero Squadron, they are from March Field, Ca. The airplanes they used to fly in are two Lib­erty and one Douglas transport. (mcm)

May 25, 1928—Aviators win Easy Game from Kingman, from the sports page of Mo­have County Miner. The 47th Aero Squadron won 20 to 10. The 47th had 28 hits to 17, what hurt the Kingman team was the 7 errors committed. This was the second game of the season for the Kingman team. (mcm)

June 1, 1928—Aerial Survey of State is On, on the front page of the Mohave County Miner. The Arizona Republican’s aerial sur­vey is taking pictures of the state of Arizona. It is in cooperation with the Arizona Indus­trial Congress. They are working the south­ern part of state first. Then start working the northern part of the state. The manager of the party is W. A. Morrison, piloted by Mr. King­sley and photographer is E. D. Newcomer. The survey is for advertising resources of the state. (mcm)

August 31, 1928—Local Boy Flies Own Plane Home, on the front page article of the Mohave County Miner. Bob Manship flew in at 3:45 last Wednesday afternoon. He circled the town and the field a couple of times and made an excellent landing. He was coming in from Los Angeles, Ca. It took him three hours and fifty-five minutes of flying time to make to Kingman. He is the first person in Mohave County to have his own airplane. Bob left the area last January to learn how to fly. Not only did he gain his private pilot license, he was able to obtain a commercial license during his training. Now he can hire out as a pilot who can do sightseeing and advertising flights. He will give rides during the four-day rodeo. Then he will leave to at­tend the National Air Races in Los Angeles.

On Page 9 article, May Run Air Service from Kansas City. The Western State Aero Corporation, a proposed air transport com­pany, with headquarters at Wichita, Ks, was seeking a franchise from the Department of Commerce and the Department of Aeronau­tics to establish a route between Kansas City to Los Angeles. They will have stops at Amarillo, Tx, Albuquerque and Gallup, NM, Winslow and Kingman, Az. They also peti­tion an air mail with the Postmaster General. This venture is no way involved in the Penn and Santa Fe Railroads venture. The Mohave County Board of Supervisors and Chamber of Commerce Members signed the petition. (mcm)

November 2, 1928—Air Route over U. S. 66 Highway, a front page article of the Mohave County Miner. Byline is St. Louis meeting discusses many important questions con­cerning this transcontinental highway. Last Tuesday, U. S. 66 Association met in St. Louis for their 7th quarterly business meeting. The meeting main issue was about air ser­vice along Route 66. Mainly starting at St. Louis and going to the west to Los Angeles, also looking at connecting to the Atlantic seaboard. They looked at the cost of build­ing and maintaining a big airport. Kingman needs to look into having a bigger airport. As for services; like scenic service to the Grand Canyon, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. (mcm)

November 23, 1928—North-South Air Route to Salt Lake City, on page 7 article of the Mohave County Miner. This air route would connect Salt Lake City, Ut. to Phoenix, Az. This line operated by Pacific Air Transport, it is an air mail line. Pacific Air Transport has taken over the interests of the Boeing Airlines. This also includes Western Air Mail service. Al Wood is a representative of the company and chief test pilot. He is looking into the possibility of opening a way be­tween Salt Lake City to Phoenix. This would be a southern route through Phoenix to Tucson to El Paso to Fort Worth and Dallas, Tx. Another route to Los Angeles, Phoenix thru the Imperial Valley, Ca to Los Angeles. Why not Kingman on the air route? (mcm)

December 28, 1928—Plane is in Crash at Air Field, a front page article of the Mohave County Miner. Byline is Quick, Cool thinking of pilot averts fatality to passengers though the ship is lost when the air current is hit. The pi­lot, F. M. Durfee of Riverside, Ca. used cool, clear thinking in averting tragic mishap this morning. He was taking off and passed the first set of telephone wires when the air current changed for him. He could not get pass the second set of wires, with the loss of altitude, the airplane came down very heavy and pancaking. His three passengers were J. E. Bolling of Palm Springs, Ca. (Owner of the plane), H. J. and John J. Slocum of Tucson, Az. The airplane was a Curtis K-6 International and was previously owned by Miss Bobby Trout of Los Angeles, the well-known stunt flier, and aviatrix. The K-6 was designed for the U. S. Navy (it was not accepted), it has a six cylinder motor with 150 horsepower. It is doubtful the airplane can be fixed to fly again. Two of the men were here to inspect Arizona Magma properties in Chloride, Az. (mcm)

you can email me at portkingman@gmail.com

© 2004-17 by Rob Chilcoat, All Rights Reserved