sedona legend helen frye

Lockheed Electra NC-18137

Current Photos of the
famous TWA Executive Plane

Sedona Legend Helen Frye

Surreal photo of Lockheed Electra 12A N-18137 when owned by aviators Connie and Ed Bowlin, by Brian Silcox. Permission was granted by Brian to publish this photo on this webpage.

The search for the above TWA Lockheed Electra 12A was an arduous one, tragically the history of this plane was nearly lost to time itself. Through my diligent efforts as the sole researcher of the Sedona Legend, Jack and Helen Frye Story, I uncovered the legacy of this famous TWA Lockheed plane. On a search that took well over three years, I was to meet an amazing circle of people which heretofore had not known each other or anything about the TWA Electra 12A. Through old photos I discovered this Electra was indeed the “private” executive plane of Jack Frye utilized for the first five years (1940-1945) of his marriage to Helen Vanderbilt Frye. Through my research I contacted retired TWA Captain Walt Gunn, who in 1942, served as the co-pilot of the Electra on several trips with TWA president Jack Frye and his wife Helen Frye. Jack always served as captain of the Electra 12A. Mr. Gunn filled in many details as for instance, the registration number, a TWA file photo, and his story of piloting the plane for Frye. This story was just one of many published in Walt's non-fictional book which chronicled his career with TWA. Not only did Walt generously send me a signed copy of his book, but I was thrilled to find such a credible eyewitness to the plane's history.

From that point on I started searching relentlessly for this "mystery" plane and for additional images of it. Finally after two years I located the supposed owners. Letters were sent but none of them were answered. It was only after the plane changed hands again, that the new owner contacted me in the spring of 2005. This was the famous aviatrix, Connie Bowlin who wrote in her E-Mail: "We currently own the Lockheed 12A, N-18137. It appears from your comments that you have extensive knowledge of the history of the plane. We would very much appreciate hearing about its life as you know it with Jack Frye." I was very excited to finally connect with the owners and share the plane's most paramount association: that it was the TWA executive plane of Jack Frye, for nearly 5 years! In future communications with Connie I discovered that the plane was for sale, in great condition. Connie only had an ownership history of the plane with few details. Any additional records of the plane had been lost through the years by different owners. I had been considering purchasing the plane and putting it on static display at the Sedona Airport, as an association with the former Frye Ranch, now Red Rock State Park, in Sedona Arizona. I told Connie that I would soon be traveling out to California to meet Ruth Richter Holden. I felt Connie and Ruth should meet as they were both female pilots and I felt they had a lot in common. Ruth's father, Paul E. Richter Jr. was of course, the famous former TWA executive vice-president, and one of the original founders of Transcontinental and Western Air.

My association with Ruth Richter came from her contacting me in her search for Jack’s daughter, Nevajac Frye. Later I too came to know Ruth, at which time she conveyed to me that she felt her father Paul’s association with TWA had been largely overlooked by historians throughout the years. I knew little of Paul, as my work was focused on Jack Frye’s association with TWA, which also has been neglected by historians. The Sedona Legend Website is a showcase which highlights among other venues, Jack Frye's career and accomplishments. Ruth told me that she had a cache of vintage material from the early Standard Air Lines and Transcontinental and Western Air days and if I would come out to California, I could scan any of it and use it however I pleased. I was very grateful for this generous offer, and as a token of my gratitude I decided to assist Ruth by offering to create an original website for her, with her father’s career memorabilia. I tied the work to the Sedona Legend Web Site for promotional purposes. Weeks later, after the completion of the Paul Richter Website, I envisioned and created the “TWA Legend Series” of websites. The vision was to tie the Paul Richter Website into a “Trio” of web work which would promote these three founders of TWA, Jack Frye, Paul Richter, and Walter Hamilton as members of a “TWA Team.” In time, I built the other two websites and linked all three together to complement each other. At the same time I encouraged Ruth and her daughter to take possession of the Paul Richter portion of the work, and build on the basic design in a direction the family desired.

Eventually, we traveled out to California to meet Ruth Richter who I found to be generous, delightful, and a wealth of information! During our stay I was able to research general information about the TWA side of Jack and Helen's story. I also continued to convey to Ruth my quest to find out more about Jack’s Lockheed Electra 12A. Ruth and I eventually found a Texaco magazine ad in her father's files featuring the Lockheed Electra NC-18137 as seen on this page. I called Connie Bowlin and told her about it- scanned and E-Mailed the ad to her. It was important for me to help Connie document the history of the plane in regard to TWA for her eventual sale. At the end of the conversation, Ruth suddenly said "tell Connie I might be interested in the plane." I was quite surprised at this, especially in regard to the powerful association of the plane with Jack Frye as evidenced on this webpage. Ruth though, had a feeling that her father was somehow associated with the plane as well. In the next few days Ruth searched through her father’s old flight logs and located several entries of Paul E. Richter Jr., piloting the Lockheed Electra 12A NC-18137 personally, even picking up the plane when it was first obtained by TWA. In the ensuing days, Ruth pulled together a plan to purchase the plane and create a plan of promotion. At the same time, I initiated the creation of a new section on the Paul Richter Website to promote the TWA 12A, for Ruth.

A plane truly lost, its glorious past forgotten, re-discovered by Sedona Legend research. Only through this association was the artifact reunited with its TWA Legacy and returned to a member of the TWA family. The proud new owners, a daughter of a TWA executive vice-president Paul E. Richter Jr., the other, her friend Rocky, (Curt) Walters, an American Eagle Captain. The silver Lockheed Electra mini-airliner soon winged its way across America landing safely at its new home on the central California coast! Meanwhile, through continued research I was able to locate and document Jack’s other private TWA executive plane, a 1942 Lockheed Lodestar, which he used from 1944 to 1947. In February of 1947, Jack resigned from TWA, and his Lodestar was grounded. It is thought Howard Hughes purchased the plane shortly after. The current location of this Lodestar 18 is not known. Unfortunately it likely has been scrapped or wrecked and no longer exists. Several years ago, Ruth Richter took control of the Paul Richter Website as I desired. She also surprisingly, decided to take over the Walter Hamilton portion of the triology as well. The Jack Frye, TWA Legend Website thankfully was retained by the Sedona Legend Website. Because of conflicting visions and agendas the “trio” format was not successful, but the idea and effort nevertheless was borne of the best of intentions and good will. It is important that there not be perceived by the public a competition of sorts between the two venues. By creating the (original expression) of the Paul Richter Website, I assisted Ruth Richter in publicizing her father’s rich legacy with Transcontinental and Western Air in a direction she previously had not explored. For that I am deeply honored and pleased!

Photos captured at Watsonville California, courtesy of retired TWA Captain Stan Crawford (photographer).

Please click on photos for larger files.

Beautifully restored to its former glory- Lockheed Electra 12A N-18137, now owned by Ruth Richter and Rocky Walters. The plane makes regular appearances at Air Shows nationwide to the delight of thousands of aviation enthusiasts.

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TWA Executive Planes of Jack Frye

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