From 1925 to 1931, the Ford Motor Company sponsored aerial tours across the country featuring planes from builders such as Waco, Curtiss and Travel Air. They would all vie for the Edsel B. Ford Reliability Trophy. These tours, as they were called, were set up to show and interest people about passenger air travel. In time they became known as the National Air Tours. In 1928, the Stinson Aircraft Company entered their Stinson Detroiter. It was built with the express intention of being flown in the air tour and would be piloted by the company's head man, E. A. Stinson. The plane which was being built, had been bought by the Tulsa Junior Chamber of Commerce before it's completion in June, 1928. The TJCC purchased the plane for $12,500 and was in contact with the Barnsdall Oil Company as a sponsor to fly in the 1928 National Air Tour.
On July 20, 1928, the air tour made a stop at Missoula, Montana. Rexie Shaw, a 1923 graduate of Barnsdall High School was attending college in Montana and ventured out to take in the sights. She took this photo of the Stinson Detroiter while it was on display at the Missoula Municipal Airport.
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| This is a rare photo of the 1928 Stinson Detroiter at the Missuola Municipal Airport in Montana. Though hard to make out, the nose of the plane has the B Square Barnsdall logo on it and has the Barnsdall Oil Co. name on the fuselage. The can sitting under the plane is Barnsdall oil. |
Though the plane did not win the 1928 tour trophy, the plane sitting on the left side of the photo did. It was the "Baby Ruth". Before making a landing at each stop the plane would fly over the crowd and drop Baby Ruth candy bars from the plane. Each candy bar would have a small parachute attached so the would slowly fall to the ground.
After the tour finished in August 1928 the Stinson was sold to Tulsa oil well drilling contractor, John Mabee for $7000. The Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University was named in his honor.
Two more sales brought the plane to Clarence Jones of Lima, Ohio. Mr. Jones was a radio station director in Ecuador and wanted the plane for missionary broadcasting services. In May 1931 the plane received a new covering but was damaged in an accident in June 1931. In September 1932, the plane was sold at a sheriff's sale to John Botkin and Lew Akin in Shawnee Oklahoma for $1009.72. It was sold two more times finally winding up in Fort Worth, Texas in August 1933. In February 1934, the plane suffered another accident and it's registration was cancelled in March 1935. There is no record of what happened to the airframe or engine. Though just a speck in aviation history, the plane was worth mentioning from some of it's Oklahoma connections. A photo copy of the Stinson Detroiter has been sent to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for their aviation collection.
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| Another photo of the Stinson Detroiter in San Diego, California. The Barnsdall markings can clearly be seen on it's fuselage. |