Greetings Brethren!
Just finished another recurrent training in Atlanta, Georgia. Two days in the MD-90 simulator and I'm good to go for another nine months!
Monday afternoon I was able to squeeze in a quick visit to the Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum. The latest addition to the museum's collection is a Northwest Airways Waco 125, that until recently, was on display in the Minneapolis airport terminal building. If you are like me, you've probably never heard of a Waco 125. I was familiar with the 9's and 10's (and the various other letter combinations) but not a 125. Like George, I was curious. . .
Here is what the museum has to say about the Waco 125:
This Waco 125 - the only one remaining of its kind in the world - was purchased by Northwest Airways in 1928, just two years after the airline's founding. It is the last of the Waco 10 biplanes with the Siemens-Halske 125-horsepower radial engine, manufactured in Germany and distributed in the U.S. by Ryan Aeronautical Company.
Northwest Airways used this "Siemens Waco" for sales demonstrations (the airline was a Waco dealer), flight instruction and charters, but not for scheduled services. Northwest operated a small fleet of Wacos primarily to carry air mail until 1936.
This Waco 125 was restored and donated to Northwest Airlines by Capt. Daniel F. Neuman (Retired NWA Pilot) in memory of his wife, Vona Jean Neuman, on December 16, 1985. The name "C.W. Holman" painted on the plane honors Northwest's first chief pilot, Charles "Speed" Holman, a famous stunt flier.
Additional information for the airplane geeks of the world: Maximum takeoff weight is 2,060 pounds. Max range is 575 miles at a cruising speed of 96 mph, and the purchase price in 1928 was $6,500.
In addition to the Waco, the museum also houses a Stinson SR-8E Reliant, a Curtiss-Wright 6B Sedan, and Ship 41---the first DC-3 to carry revenue passengers for Delta Air Lines on December 24, 1940. It is also home to The Spirit of Delta, a Boeing 767-200 that was purchased with employee contributions and donated to the company in 1982. I flew the Spirit on many occasions when I was a 767 First Officer, and fondly remember a "grease job" landing in Portland, Oregon, one afternoon (wet runway, of course) in 2004.
The EG's father started his airline career at Northeast Airlines. These next few pictures are in honor of Captain Buzz Flett, DAL, Retired.
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| Northeast Airlines Stinson Reliant |
The EG says that when he was growing up, his sister had a yellow case just like the one in this display.
The Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum
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