At the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inauguration as president of the United Stated in March of 1933, no means of transmitting pictures existed. Newspaper and movie newsreel pictures that were shown in the large city theaters were much in demand to broadcast current events. Several would be commercial pilots participated in the effort to transport films of the inauguration to Chicago and other cities west of Washington. Tuck Brown, originally from nearby Parsons, WV was reported as the only pilot to penetrate the bad weather between Washington and Chicago and successfully deliver news photos of the inauguration. It was believed that Brown flew an early model Waco cabin bi-plane. Since most aircraft had to operate in visual flight conditions, it was difficult to fly through the usual bad weather during the month of March. During a flight transporting this film, Laura Ingalls, a famous aviatrix of the day, was forced to discontinue her flight from Washington to Chicago, and landed at Mexico Farms. She secured her famous airplane, a Lockheed Air Express NR974Y and, after using the telephone at the Johnson residence, proceeded via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to deliver her precious photos to Chicago. Except for the open cockpit, when all other Lockheed models were cabin aircraft, her Lockheed Air Express was state of the art for aircraft of the time. It was powered by a 450 hp Pratt and Whitney engine and was capable of high altitude, and was fully instrumented for flight by reference to instruments. This model was additionally made famous by Frank Hawks flying for the Texaco Company.
The Lockheed Air Express and the petite Laura Ingalls became famous the following year after flying a complete circuit of South America, a distance of 16,897 miles, thereby wining the Harmon Award as the outstanding woman flier of 1934.
Laura Ingalls with her Lockheed Air Express.
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Wings Over Cumberland 