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Below is a high-quality photograph of Sand Point taken June 14, 1938, soon after the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield was closed. Image donor (right sidebar), Mr. Kalina , states about this image, "As you can see, it is an official military photo [identified by the coding along the bottom].... Of note is the Boeing 314 prototype in the upper center of the photo [hard to see in this Web image, but it's just to the right of the clump of trees at center, just at water's edge]. Note that it has the original, single tail [vertical stabilizer]. This was soon changed to ... the production version of 3 tails. The amphibians are PBYs [eight are visible in the water and on land]. Note that the ones on shore appear to have different paint schemes on their fin/rudders. The two closest appear to have a checkerboard pattern." These details are barely visible in the
Web copy of this
image, but they are very clear in the original. From the wake, the PBY
to the right of the two ships at dock is underway. Note the launch or
recovery crew standing at the end of the ramp and in the water just
above the two PBYs facing north. They may be waiting to recover the
incoming aircraft near the two ships, or they may be preparing to
launch the one just visible at the top right corner of the dark roofed
hangar.
Sand Point Naval Air Station, June 14,
1938, 11:00AM
The
painting on the dark hangar roof in the foreground says "NAS SEATTLE".
North is to the right of the image. One Register pilot cited Sand Point
specifically as his home base. He was lieutenant Theodore J. Koenig.
Koenig flew 24-131, a deHavilland DH-4MB1. He carried passenger L.G.
Hubble. They were westbound from Biggs Field, El Paso, TX to Los
Angeles, CA. Koenig noted in the remarks column of the Register, "Then
to Seattle, Wash". Other military pilots (Army Air Corps) to cite
Seattle were Ira Eaker and Oakley Kelly. See the link in the left sidebar for
further information about Sand Point. |
