The story of NC9084:
NC9084 was a working plane from the start. Travel Air sold the aircraft to Phillips Petroleum, which dubbed it the City of Wichita and put it into service ferrying executives and equipment. NC9084 also generated publicity for Phillips via attempts to set nonstop flying endurance records.
Century Oil, which purchased NC9084 from Phillips and renamed it Century of Oklahoma City,also used the plane to pursue an endurance record. Unfortunately, after 13 straight days in the air, a terrible dust storm forced NC9084 to land without a record.
Over the next few years, the aircraft changed hands several times and moved from Texas to California to Idaho. Along the way, it engaged in barnstorming, charter flights, passenger transportation and aerial photography. The plane also spent several years working on Idaho’s Flying B Ranch before the legendary Johnson Flying Service purchased it in 1956.
Johnson used NC9084 to deliver Forest Service firefighters to woodland blazes for 14 years. This workhorse also sprayed trees and carried passengers to the backcountry.
When Johnson Flying Service upgraded its fleet, it put all its Travel Air aircraft on the block, NC9084 caught the eye of Alaskan bush pilot Bill deCreeft, who was looking for an aircraft with good cargo and passenger capacity and short takeoff and landing capabilities. He purchased it and had it flown to Homer, Alaska, where deCreeft’s business, Kachemak Air Service, swapped out the wheels for floats.
The bush pilot used the versatile Travel Air for a range of tasks, including transporting backpackers, delivering supplies and giving aerial tours. deCreeft even carried small fry fingerlings for the Department of Fish and Game, and flew a man with a broken neck to Anchorage for treatment when no other options were available.
After retiring NC9084 from service in 1976, de Creeft couldn’t let go of this remarkable plane. In 1987, he started a complete restoration. It entered the shed as a working bush plane and emerged three years later as a fully restored 1929 “limousine of the air,” returned to its factory configurations, and re-entered into service.
Kachemak Air Service took the restored plane to California in winter for wine country touring, then back to Homer to fly tourists and sightseers over breathtaking scenery and stunning glaciers. That was the last phase of NC9084’s 39 years in Alaska.
In 2001, deCreeft began another complete restoration, taking the fuselage down to the frame and completely rebuilding and re-covering the wings. While removing the wings, deCreeft’s team discovered that someone had replaced one wing in years past, and the two wings were different. This explained why the plane sometimes seemed to veer to the right on landing. deCreeft’s team rebuilt the wing to the original design.
The restoration replaced the 330-hp Whirlwind R75 engine with a 450-hp Wright Whirlwind R-975, which was original equipment on the Travel Air 6000B. A second fully restored and crated R-975 will be conveyed to NC9084’s new owner.
The project also restored the leather-covered wicker seats and woodwork and brought the lavatory and interior back as close as possible to their original build. Finally, a few enhancements, including a lavatory window and a separate door for the pilot, rounded out the work.
When deCreeft retired in 2007, he put his beloved Travel Air up for sale. Aviation enthusiast and businessman Howard Wright bought NC9084 in 2008. He switched the floats back to wheels, added an alternator and Redline hydraulic toe brakes, and flew the plane down the Alaska Highway to get it to Washington State.
Give me a call to discuss this Travel Air 6000B.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Ben Redman, RARE Aircraft Ltd
(507) 331-8446
