Serial Number

Model

Registration

Date of Manufacturing

ATC

Price (USD)

Engine

Propeller

Current Status

History

This was the first ST-A Special built with the supercharged Menasco C-4S 150 HP engine. It had two fuel tanks, 24 gallons in the main and 18 gallons in a tank placed in the front cockpit. It was originally licensed as a single seat airplane.

It was sold new on May 30th, 1936 to Joel W. Thorne. It was picked up in San Diego, and flown east by Joe Fornasero. Thorne was from the original Smith Brothers Cough Drop company family. In the beginning he had some engine trouble, and also fuel tank problems, (cracking) a couple times.

Once on a trip to Florida, it cracked near Raleigh, North Carolina, and he ended up spending the day repairing the tank before continuing south.

Ownership transferred to Albert Emanual, who used it mainly for pleasure and instruction. He learned to fly in the aircraft at the age of 16, under the tutelage of long time friend Barney Barbin, a B 24 Test Pilot.

Mr Emanual based it in New York and Florida, and while in the south it was serviced by the Miami Aero Corporation in Miami. John Schopendauer, a Bel Air Corporation mechanic at Roosevelt Field in new York owned it for a while too but exact dates are unknown. He was the mechanic for Barney Barbin.

The airplane was put up for sale in April, 1938, and was sold soon after to Dewey Eldred. They in turn sold it to three flight students; one of whom ground looped it shortly thereafter, grounding it for over a month. The first day it was repaired it was flown to Detroit. Over the city it threw a connecting rod. The engine had a little over 80 hours on it. The three students became discouraged and sold it to H. M. Dingley of the main airport transportation company. For a time it was based at Logan Airport in Boston, at the Inter City Airlines facility, about 1938 and then sold again to Truman Miller.

He used it in an advanced experimental private flying program. This was because it was one of 13 schools having experimental private students in 1939. They trained over 100 CAA students in the 1940 program.

Many of the students or trainees from Duke University, and N.C. State College were among the special “charmed circle who got to fly the Ryan” group.

In August, 1940 it was sold to Air Activities in Houston, Texas to train CPTPStudents. They installed a Menasco C-4 engine serial # 376 in December 1940.

On February 7th, 1941 it was purchased by Collier Harwell, a Delta Airlines captain who in turn sold it in June of that year to Herman Martin in Washington.

Next owner, Russell P. Mathews who had the airplane serviced often by Amarillo Air Service, Inc. (R.S. Holmes, Mgr.) at Amarillo, Texas.

All that is known of its final disposition is that it was involved in an accident and destroyed in 1945. No other details are known. Mr. Mathews was still listed as the owner in 1946. He died in 1946 but it is not known if it was the result of the accident.

Ownership History

• Joel W. Thorne;

• Albert Emanual, Miami Springs and Palm Beach, Florida;

• John Schopendauer, Belfair Corporation, Roosevelt Field, Mineola, Long Island, New York;

• Dewey Eldred, Meinke-Eldred Flying Service, Willoughby, Ohio;

• Meinke- Eldred flying students, (3 of them names unknown); H.M. Dingley, Jr., Auburn, Maine;

• Truman W. Miller, Manager, Serv-Air inc. Raleigh, North Carolina;

• J.B. Reed, and or J.O. “Toots” Womack, Air Activities Inc. Howard Hughes Airport, Houston Texas;

• Collier Harwell, Collier Harwell Flying School, Abilene, Texas;

• Herman L. Martin School of Flying, Walla Walla, Washington;

• Russell P. Mathews, Phoenix, Arizona.

Current Ownership

Unknown

Notes

Via FAA records, N16032 previously assigned to a Cessna 150L based in Modesto, California, (now listed as deregistered) is currently on hold.

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