N879H

This fully restored 1929 Hamilton H-47 Metalplane, C/N 65, one of just 29 ever made will be auctioned this Saturday by the prestigious 39th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Speed Channel will televise 40 hours of the auction, including the auction of N879H.

N879H is reportedly the only airworthy Hamilton Metalplane left on the US register, or any register for that matter. The Texas owner who retired from Northwest Airlines in 1997 states there is one in Alaska that is "just two wings and a fuselage". The FAA registry and this site shows three Hamilton Metalplanes, one other also last registered in Minnesota, as is N879H. The aircraft to be auctioned has attracted many visitors over the past 38 years at South St. Paul's Fleming Field SGS in Minnesota.

Many parts had to be fabricated from scratch in the restoration, including the wicker and leather seats. Northwest Airways once operated eight six-place Hamilton Metalplanes. Frank Toll, who ran Northwest's paint shop, painted by hand the vintage Northwest Airways logo on both sides of the corrugated fuselage. The aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial (just try to find another spare one of those) and has amassed 5,224 hours of flight time, 41 hours since the restoration.. The guest book on the aircraft has recorded visitors from much of the world.

Barrett-Jackson held a sale preview in December 2009 in the plane's hangar that attracted about 125 people, including one who vowed he would buy it. The company's website has also had a lot of interest in the airplane. The plane's owner hopes the plane will end up in a museum.

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Last year Barrett-Jackson sold a Ford Tri-Motor, the first aircraft they have ever auctioned, for $1.1 million.

My thanks to classmate friend (since 1939) Hal Fabriz in Minnesota for alerting me on this aviation news of great interest.