R. L. Harrison Travel Air 4000

Additional Information:

In 1924, Lloyd Stearman, Clyde Cessna, and Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, Kansas. Their first effort was the Travel Air 1000, which was designed along the lines of the famous Curtiss Jenny.

A later model, the Travel Air 2000, was built with horn-balanced control surfaces, which were copied from the famous Fokker D-VII fighter from World War I. Because of the close resemblance to the Fokker, the 2000 was used in many 1930s war movies and became known as the “Wichita Fokker.”

The Travel Air 4000 was introduced in 1929 and is similar in design to the model 2000 but without the horn-balanced control ailerons. The pilot sits in the rear cockpit with room for two in the front. It represents a classic example of the round-engine biplane, both slow-flying and graceful. It was regarded as a beautiful aircraft from a romantic era.

R.L. Harrison, Bill Cutter’s second student in Albuquerque, owned the Caterpillar dealership here. He purchased the Travel Air 4000, NC692K, in 1929 and used this aircraft to deliver parts to any place he could land. This was the first “Company” plane in Albuquerque.

GALLERY: