francefield

LT. Charles B. Austin A field in france Shows a beauty of france and tropics under Sdasm Arichives They had interesting war images Palm trees are my favorite tree

United States Army Air Service pioneering aviator, Lt. Charles B. Austin (1891-1928), sitting atop a modified license-built de Havilland DH-4 aircraft. The photo was taken at France Field in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ) (see linked photo from the SDASM below regarding the location). Given the date on the photo ("10/9/20") and the modifications to the aircraft (in the form of the faired-over front cockpit, which now held an additional fuel tank), this photo was likely taken as part of coverage of his aborted attempted solo air mail flight from France Field, Panama Canal Zone (PCZ) to Washington, D.C., in October 1920. See: Charles Bernard Austin (1891-1928) - Arlington National Cemetery Website "The Aborted 1920 Airmail Flight," by Robert J. Karrer, Jr., The Canal Zone Philatelist, Vol. 31, No. 4, Fourth Quarter 1995. "Army Air Flight from Panama to Washington," Army and Navy Journal, Vol. LVII, No. 49, Pages 1510-11, August 7, 1920 "The Canal Zone - U.S. First Air Dispatch," Scott's Monthly Journal, Vol. I, No. 10, Page 5, December 1920 The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) Archives on the Flickr Commons, features a collection of photos belonging to Charles B. Austin taken and collected during his time based at France Field in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ). See: Flickr Commons - San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) Archives - Lt. Charles Austin Special Collection Here is a photo of Austin from that collection: Also, among the photos in the SDASM's Austin Special Collection is a photo of President-elect, then- Senator Warren G. Harding visiting France Field, on November 27, 1920. Note, Harding's traveling party and military officers are photographed in front of same type of (if not the very same) hangar and building depicted in the Bain Collection photo of Lt. Austin and his aircraft above.

Thanks for all the information and useful links! We'll add details to the description at our end.