Serial Number

Model

Registration

Date of Manufacturing

ATC

Price (USD)

Engine

Propeller

Current Status

History

It appears but is not confirmed that this Ryan was sold new to Tex Rankin through Ryan dealer W.H. Irwin about 1936.

History from September 1936 construction date to Rankin sale is unknown. Rankin`s address at the time was listed as Paul Mantz hangar, Union Air Terminal, Burbank, California. Rankin, a well known aerobatic flyer of the 30`s, used it for air show work around the country, and won the International Aerobatic

Championship at St Louis, Missouri for 1937. He also used the airplane for student training at Burbank, California.

On December 14th, 1936, Rankin set an altitude record of 20,000 Feet, at Miami, Florida, but it is not known if the record was set in NC16039, or another Ryan ST-A.

Rankin loaned the aircraft to Gladys O’Donnell, who won the first Amelia Earhart Memorial Race in Cleveland in the 1937 national Air Races. This aircraft was also used for movie work, and was filmed for such aviationgreats as the 1938 RKO movie “Sky Giant” (doing aerobatics) and “test Pilot” (Myrna Loy and Clark Gable) and “Tailspin Tommy”. Others were “Too Hot to Handle” (Myrna Loy and Clark Gable) “Dive Bomber” starring Fred McMurray,Errol Flynn, and Ralph Bellamy. These two last films showed the airplane with the “Bump Cowl” which was to give the appearance that the Ryan had a radial engine- but of course the high thrust line gave away that impression to any Aviation experts. Also the airplane was sometimes called the “Allen Speed Ryan” and apparently used in Air-shows.

At an Air-show in 1939, (Santa Rosa, California) “Putt” Humphreys flipped the ship on its back during a downwind landing, inflicting severe damage. The Ryan Company rebuilt the plane at San Diego. It was then flown for a year and then dismantled in Arizona. In the fall of 1939 the plane was serviced and underwent more repairs at Long Airmotive Inc. Ltd. At Alameda, California. It was sold around June 1939 to A.T. “Putt” Humphreys, of the Humphreys Aircraft Company in Denver, Colorado. As of June 1940 it was still owned by Humphreys, but then based in Fresno, California, (United Air Terminal).

In June 1944 it was being serviced by Dan Harrison at Western States Flying Service of Lakeside, California. He apparently purchased the ship and was the registered owner up to about 1946 while living in San Diego. Fred Sorenson noticed it about 1956 at Yuma, Arizona, and two years later after much bargaining, purchased it in 1958.

In June, 1960 it was sold to Lane R. Ward. He ran out of fuel one day, at 4000 feet, and landed dead stick on the Los Banos, California Airport.

From 1966 to 1985 it was owned and flown by Harold Sparks. He flew it up to 1974, and it was then put into storage until purchased by Ted Babbini in 1985. Ted and his good friend Remo Galeazzi spend considerable time rebuilding the aircraft and getting it airworthy. It finally flew again in April 1990.

Now owned by Carlene Mendieta and Walt Bowe, of Danville, California the aircraft is maintained in beautiful airworthy condition.

Ownership History

• W.H. Irwin, Atlanta, Georgia;

• J.G. Tex Rankin, Portland Oregon, and Burbank, California;

• A.T. “Putt” Humphreys, Fresno, California;

• Dan E. Harrison, Lakeside, California;

• Fred Sorenson, Mt. View, California;

• Lane R. Ward, Modesto, California;

• W.L. Redding, Modesto, California;

• Harold Sparks, Mt. View, California;

• Ted Babbini, Sonoma, California;

• Carlene Mendieta and Walt Bowe, Sonoma,California.

Current Ownership

Carlene Mendieta and Walt Bowe

Notes

Photo Gallery