Rapid Air Lines Ford 4-AT-B
NC5093
(c/n 4-AT-20)
Rapid Air Lines Inc was formed at Rapid City, South Dakota in 1928,
using this lone Ford
4-AT-B. Ostensibly it flew scheduled passenger services
from Rapid City to Watertown,
SD from July of that year until August of 1929. It was named "Wamblee Ohanko", a Sioux
name meaning "Swift Eagle".
The aircraft was used an many barn storming flights, however,
one of which, in Iowa in August 1928, when it was used to perform an in
flight (possibly the
first wedding. The last inscription on the fuselage
reads "Safe as a Bank Flying".
Well,
that may have been true when the aircraft was new, but the poor old
thing came to grief at
Metz, Mo on 17 April 1942, when the port engine malfunctioned and it
was damaged be-
yond repair in the resultant forced landing. The aircraft was on
delivery to Star Airlines of
Alaska at the time.