Chapter Two The First Mexican Fairchild FC-2, NC998, M-SCOE This amazing clear photograph was taken at Balbuena Airfield, Mexico City, on 20 December 1927, and has remained in the private collection of the family of pilot Luis Noriega Medrano, [far left] for the past ninety years. At first, the image only appears to be three Mexican pilots in front of an old Mexican air- craft, however, it is a rare image captured by an unknown photographer from “Estudio Cortes” in Mexico City. The aircraft was an American built high- wing monoplane used for transporting passengers and cargo, known as the FC-2, later designed into the more famous Fairchild model 71. The military pilot in the middle, I believe is Teniente [Lieutenant] Alfonso Gandarille Gra- cia, who would later fly anti-submarine patrols with Luis Noriega, protecting Mexican shipping from German attacks in WWII. The pilot on the right could be Mayor [Major] Alberto Castrejon of the Mexican Aviation Arm. Pilot Luis Noriega [left] is the private pilot of Mexican President Calles. These three Mexican pilots are waiting for the arrival of four very special guests, Dwight W. Morrow, the U. S. Ambassador in Mexico, the President of Mexico, Plu- tarco Elias Calles, Mayor [Major] Alvaro Obregon, the ex-president of Mex- ico, and American pilot Charles A. Lindbergh. Lindbergh will soon pilot this Fairchild FC-2, serial M-SCOE, on three flights over Mexico City, entertain- ing his special passengers. While this image contains a huge amount of his- tory, it is just a small beginning of early Mexican aviation. The complete air- craft history actually begins with the pre-history of the creation of Mexicana Airlines, Compania Mexicana. In July 1921, two American citizens living in Mexico City, formed a small aviation company which is given the very first contract to operate in Mexico, under title “Compania Mexicana de Transportacion” [C.M.T.A.] Harry J. Lawson and I. A. Winship buy two biplanes and begin flying from Mexico City to the American border at Ciudad Juarez. The business is not good and continues to lose money in 1922 and 1923, but the company somehow survives. In August 1923, Mexican President Alvaro Obregon signs the Bucareli Treaty, which clarified the rights of the Mexican government and reduced the future power and ownership of all huge American oil companies operating in Mex- ico. In protest of this treaty, Obregon’s finance minister, Adolf de la Huerta, launches a rebellion [military coup] against the President, who now returns to the battlefield. Young pilot Luis Noriega fought in this rebellion, but the fam- ily have no records of his combat and it was possibly never recorded by the Mexican government. We must now recall, in 1920, it was President Obregon who granted 17-year-old Noriega, his request to leave the Mexican Navy and become a pilot in the Aviation Arm of Mexico. During the war, the United States agrees to furnish the Mexican government with 17 new de Havilland DH-4B bombers equipped with Lewis and Vickers machine guns. This mod- ern airpower shifts power to the federal forces and the military coup is squashed in February 1924, and I’m sure pilot Noriega’s actions were recog- nized by his President. The Mexican controlled oilfields along the Gulf of Mexico coast near Tampico are now booming and the C.M.T.A. airline establish a lucrative route from Tampico to Mexico City. These pioneer American owners are now flying the large Mexican oil payrolls over the heads of the bandits, who surround the rich oil fields and have been robbing the land delivery routes. Luis Noriega Medrano’s daughter recalls: In one of these flights he crash-landed in an open field in the forest using two palm trees to stop his plane. When they sent for help, they also sent for men to unload the plane and literally walked the cargo (payroll) to its destination. They all followed a trail in a very heavy forest. My father used to tell us how he would make sure that every one of the men carrying the money would still be there every time there was a turn in the trail by standing where he could see the approaching men and counting each one as they walked by. I am sure they had no idea what the cargo was. This new oilfield business begins to attract other companies and on 24 August 1924, Companfa Mexicana de Aviation, [C.M.A.] is formed. The more power- ful C.M.A then purchased the smaller company C.M.T.A., and quickly took over their aircraft and money making oil business from Tampico to Mexico City. This rapid growth of Mexican oil, and the power of the airplane in Mexican politics and military is being noticed by many important Americans. In 1925, U. S. industrialist Sherman Fairchild was mainly involved in aerial photography, and developing his new founded Fairchild Airplane Manufac- turing Corp in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, USA. His company first designed a new Fairchild prototype aircraft called the FC-1 [Fairchild Cabin model #1]. This prototype aircraft first flew in June 1926, and was designed mainly as a camera platform for his aerial photography business. This new design was a success, [which many historians describe as the pick-up truck of the air] and production began at once with the model FC-2 powered by a 220 horsepower Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine, first flown on 20 June 1927. Sherman Fairfield now becomes intrigued with aviation enterprises in Mex- ico, and purchases 20% of the holdings in C.M.A. airlines, plus a contract to supply all future aircraft to the company at cost. Mr. Sherman was a very smart businessman and knew how to invest, and make money in more than one area. The ninth constructed Fairchild Cabin model 2, [FC-2] was given the registra- tion NC998, and flown to Companfa Mexicana de Aviation at Mexico City in August 1927. It was given an open winged Eagle design with the words – “Ciudad de Mexico”, possibly the C.M.A. company insignia. The fuselage and wings were next painted with the assigned aircraft registration given by Mexi- can authorities, the earliest numbering system which began with the letter “M” for MEXICO. This was followed by a hyphen and four letters, the first three being SCO, for Secretaria de Communications y Obras Publicas. The last letter, in this case an “E”, was assigned to each individual aircraft. In October 1927, Fairchild FC-2 “Ciudad de Mexico “began flying the twice a week route from Mexico City to Tampico and return. In the same month, a second Fairchild FC-2, the 30th built, registered NC3432, was received, given the name “Ciudad de Veracruz’ and letters M-SCOY, flying a new route to the Yucatan peninsula. These were routine air routes carrying passengers, oil payroll money, and cargo, but now destiny would take over, which was cap- tured in two images from the Noriega family photo collection. This image appears in the Noriega photo collection with no date or names. I believe it is the group of original Mexican pilots who flew together in the 1923- 24 Adolfo de la Huerta rebellion, and the photo date is 1925. At age nineteen, Emilio Carranza flew with Luis Farell Cubillas and bombed the mountainous towns of Bacatete, Los Medanos, La Gloria, Higueras, La Virgen, Torocob- sampo, Bacatecate, Zamahuaca, Cendradita, Algodones, Las Petacas, Raum and Belem. To his left stands Lt. Ralph Ambrose O’Neill, who was hired in 1920, by President Alvaro Obregon to revamp the Mexican Air Force. O’Neill flew at least six missions against Adolfo de la Huerta’s forces in the rebellion, and departed Mexico in December 1925. Another aviation hero, Roberto Fi- erro appears in uniform far right. In 1924, President Obregon hand-picked his successor, Plutarco Elias Calles, who was elected President, and the following year, President Calles appointed a 21-year-old Lt. Luis Noriega as his personal pilot. This image was stamped 16 September 1927 by the portrait company, 23- year-old pilot Lt. Luis Noriega. Noriega is now a veteran combat pilot in the Mexican Air Arm, the personal pilot for President Calles, and a member of Mexican revolution aviation hero’s including Emilio Carranza. The Carranza family are almost royalty in Mexico, and the fame of Emilio is growing each month. Many, many, websites and books detail the Carranza family history, military commanders, aviation pioneers, president of Mexico, and it need not be repeated in this history. Emilio Carranza grew up loving aviation and at age eleven began to visit the flying academy in Mexico City. He became a member of this academy at age eighteen, soloed in a Mexican-built Avro biplane two years later, becoming a national hero bombing rebels in 1924. In 1927, a new world aviation hero emerged, named Charles A. Lindbergh. Free domain from San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born in 1902, the American aviator who made the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic, 20-21 May 1927. This image was taken just before he took off for world fame, gaining press names “Lucky Lindy” and “The Lone Eagle.” He was a shy, slim young American, who immediately shot to international fame, idolized by Americans, Europe- ans, and Mexicans. It is no surprise that Charles Lindbergh soon became the idol of one Mexican pilot Emilio Carranza. In June 1927, Lt. Carranza obtained an old abandoned ex-Mexican Air Force aircraft “Quetzalcoatl” made entirely from wood.