Waco 9

Waco 9

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08/15/2008. Clifford A. Ball, an automobile dealer of McKeesport, Pennsylvania (some 10 mls, 16 km) south-east of Pittsburgh, bought three of these aircraft in 1926 (NC2573 to NC2575, c/n 358 to 360). He also had a controlling interest in Bettis Field (officially known as Pittsburgh-Mckeesport Airport), just across the Monongahela river near McKeesport, from where the Waco's were operated by the Clifford Ball, Inc. On March 27, 1927, he won the air mail contract C.A.M. No. 11 for the Pittsburgh - Youngstown (Ohio) - Cleveland (Ohio) route, and the airline made the first mail flight on April 21.

In November 1930 Ball sold his airline to Pittsburgh Aviation Industries Corp., and the airline was named Pennsylvania Air Lines, with Ball acting as Vice-President. All Air Mail Contracts were cancelled by the US Government on February 19, 1934, the US Army temporarily taking over the air mail services. On May 5, the air mail routes were put up for bid for service to start twelve days later. The original mail carriers were excluded from the bid on the contracts, so many airlines altered their names, hence Pennsylvania Air Lines was renamed Pennsylvania Airlines and Transport Co.

Although being stored several times the aircraft has been kept in airworthy condition for many decades, however, while still on the US registry, it presently is display dangling from the ceiling in the Landside Building at Pittsburgh International Airport.


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08/15/2008. Clifford A. Ball, an automobile dealer of McKeesport, Pennsylvania (some 10 mls, 16 km) south-east of Pittsburgh, bought three of these aircraft in 1926 (NC2573 to NC2575, c/n 358 to 360). He also had a controlling interest in Bettis Field (officially known as Pittsburgh-Mckeesport Airport), just across the Monongahela river near McKeesport, from where the Waco's were operated by the Clifford Ball, Inc. On March 27, 1927, he won the air mail contract C.A.M. No. 11 for the Pittsburgh - Youngstown (Ohio) - Cleveland (Ohio) route, and the airline made the first mail flight on April 21. In November 1930 Ball sold his airline to Pittsburgh Aviation Industries Corp., and the airline was named Pennsylvania Air Lines, with Ball acting as Vice-President. All Air Mail Contracts were cancelled by the US Government on February 19, 1934, the US Army temporarily taking over the air mail services. On May 5, the air mail routes were put up for bid for service to start twelve days later. The original mail carriers were excluded from the bid on the contracts, so many airlines altered their names, hence Pennsylvania Air Lines was renamed Pennsylvania Airlines and Transport Co. Although being stored several times the aircraft has been kept in airworthy condition for many decades, however, while still on the US registry, it presently is display dangling from the ceiling in the Landside Building at Pittsburgh International Airport.