40

just got this airplane running after 40 years

it took me 40 minutes

This one was a bit tricky but I think I have it from a few small clues and the power of google. I think it is the Heinkel HD 40 (could be HD 39 also), which was apparently built to deliver the newspaper B Z (top half of photo). I initially spotted the German wording in the lower half, then tried googling for newspaper carrying aircraft and similar ideas, and came up with this which seems to fit (and the wheel struts appear to match).

Think it is an HD 40 as the 39 had 10 bays for dropping newspapers, this appears to have 15.

stonefaction Great find! Thanks!

Per Wikipedia, it sounds like both the HD 39 and HD 40 were custom-built, single prototype planes. The HD 40 was only in service for six months before crashing, but the HD 39 was in use for a few years before it too was replaced.

Apparently, this is a better photo of the HD 40:

See

see also

"Roman Freulich was a Polish-born photographer. At age 14 he emigrated to the United States. In the mid- 1920s after Freulich moved to Hollywood, he became a still photographer at Universal. He remained at Universal until 1944 when he was offered a position at Republic Studios as head of its still department. In the late 1950s, after Republic ceased production, Freulich freelanced, mostly for United Artists, until the mid-1960s. In 1941, 1942, 1944, and 1947 he won awards at the Hollywood Studio Still Photography Show, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8j106bs/

For Jack Freulich, and discussion of his signature, see halborn.net/2016/03/01/jack-freulich-pioneer/

Thanks Art Siegel, We'll make a note of this being a copy negative of a print by Jack Freulich.