Chasing Seaplane History!

[EJaneHood]

Originally Posted by KittyHawk

What a great picture, and one I'll copy for the scrapbook I am building along with the restoration of NC975M. Having such a beautiful photo of the Kitty Hawk and Jane together is perfect!

The picture is probably from the mid to late 1940's, as the Kitty Hawk has the smaller 125 hp B-5 Kinner engine installed. Bill Harmon and Paschal rebuilt it and installed a larger Kinner R-56 of 160 hp in the early 1950's. It looked very different with the larger engine and a wooden propeller. Probably performed much better, too.

Trying to get some more info from Bill Harmon. Thanks for the bit about the incident. Yes, the Kitty Hawk took quite a whack when she hit the ground. Enough so the the wings cracked, the floats are smashed and the fuselage steel tubing is bent. All in all, it will be a fun restoration!

You're probably right about Bill Muzzey, though it is a shame, as he was the owner who flew the daylights out of NC975M, ride-hopping sightseers for several years from Paugus Bay.

You've given me a few leads to run down, too. We'll see where they go. Many thanks for sharing the photo. Wonder if Jane Steady pursued a flying career or stuck with pleasure flying.

Jane was my grandmother... she didn't pursue a career in flying, though she enjoyed it very much. She obtained a degree in mathematics from Colby College and worked for Sloan-Kettering before raising four children in NYC/PA before retiring back to NH. Flight and astronomy remained among her top interests throughout her life.

Edit to add: She got her pilot's license in 1945, when she was sixteen & was married in 1948 ... so the photo would likely have been sometime during those years -- just to verify as I noted you were discussing dates.

This photo was such a treat to find -- none of us in the family had seen it before!