173 (304, 305)
ST-A Special (STM)
NC17368
August 1937
681
Unknown
Menasco C-4S 150 HP SN 314 & 371
Hartzell D-718 SN 16452 Sensenich 80RS72
Airworthy
Serial Number
Model
Registration
Date of Manufacturing
ATC
Price (USD)
Engine
Propeller
Current Status
History
The airplane was sold new to Air Industries on August 30th, 1937, who in turn sold it to Customer E.A. Spence. In July 1938 it was registered to Stinson Aircraft Corporation and in November 1938 it was sold to Dr. Lee R. Herrington. In February 1942 it was owned and operated by the Dervend Flying School in New York. They sold it on November 1942 to Aero Corporation.
It appears that in 1944 it might have belonged to Harry Porter. Via photos supplied by Donald Wood, (son of the owner) it is shown that the aircraft as owned and operated by Elmer Wood, of Woods fling service in 1945 or 46 in the CPTP program, and in July 1947 it was registered to Bill Murrin. John Greenwood was the next owner, who used it in air-shows painted all up with a sunburst on the wings and tail. In April 1960 Greenwood was taking off from the Hopewell Airport , Hopewell, Virginia, and the engine quit. He spun over the top right into the ground. He was wearing a helmet, and upon impact he went through the rear instrument panel, the baggage compartment and into the front cockpit, he was badly injured but lived.
The aircraft was totalled, but there were enough salvageable parts such as the tail, these parts were sold off to a fellow who built a homebuilt aircraft using them.
Eventually the papers were sold and applied to a Guatemalan STA-SPECIAL airframe, now carrying serial number 173, but in reality it is a combination of Guatemalan
SN 304 or 305. It is interesting to note that the rebuild has been done to an ST-A configuration with internal longerons This was undertaken while owned for over 25 years by Bill Rose. The aircraft was painted bright red with a white stripe. In 2001 Ownership changed to Carl J. Terrana of Buckley, Washington, but soon after, on August 27, 2001 Terrana was killed in the crash of a homebuilt scale Hawker Hurricane replica. In November 2005 the aircraft was purchased by Harold Hanson, founder of the North Cascades Vintage Air Museum, in Concrete, Washington. Hanson passed away in 2010, and the aircraft continues to be flown By the museum, which is now managed by Jim Jenkins.
Ownership History
- Air Industries Inc. Detroit, Michigan;
- E.A Spence, Southern Michigan Airways, Sturgis, Michigan, and Albert Whitehead Airport St Petersburg, Florida;
- Stinson Aircraft Corporation, Wayne, Michigan;
- Dr. Lee R. Herrington, Westfield, New Jersey;
- Dervend Flying School inc., Hangar 10, Roosevelt Field, Mineola, New York;
- (Zeki Dervend);
- Aero Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia;
- Harry Porter, Chattanooga, Tennessee;
- Elmer Wood, Wood Flyers, Magee Tyson Airport, Tennessee;
- Bill Murrin, Alcoa, Tennessee; John P. Greenwood, Richmond, Virginia;
- Stanley Richardson, Clearwater, Florida;
- Dacy Brothers, Harvard, Illinois;
- Bill Rose, S. Barrington, Illinois, (papers only);
- Carl J. Terrana, Buckley, Washington;
- Harold Hanson, Skagit Air Museum, (North Cascades Vintage Air Museum) Concrete, Washington.
Current Ownership
SKAGIT AERO EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM
Notes
Photo Gallery
