[ApS]

Originally Posted by KittyHawk

Information, stories, history and photographs sought:

I purchased an old biplane, a 1931 Viking Kitty Hawk with registration number NC975M. Researching its history as part of the restoration process, I learned that it spent most of its flying life on EDO 2260 floats, flying sightseers over Lake Winnipesaukee from the mid-1940's to 1974, when it crashed in a field after taking off from Paugus Bay Seaplane Base. It was in storage from 1974 until I began rebuilding her in 2011.

The owners while she flew visitors to the lake were William Harman, then Bill Muzzey and back to William Harman thru 1974. I am attempting to locate these gentlemen for their input, of course. While that plays out, I am asking Forum members to search their memories and photo archives to see if anyone has info to help me with this quest. I will try to attach a photo of the plane at Paugus Bay with this post to refresh 40 year memories. If you can help, PM me, please!

At the Wolfeboro library, a recent publication has appeared—courtesy of the Town of Wolfeboro.



I looked through my copy of Bob Fogg and New Hampshire's Golden Age of Aviation and didn't find this photo—below—which appears within this current Wolfeboro pamphlet.

Labeled "Lakes Region Air Park", the name apparently refers to the Laconia "Seaplane Base". The Wolfeboro name "Lakes Region Air Park" was adopted before 1979 because the signage at Wolfeboro's Little Airport showed "Lakes Region Air Park" printed in large letters on its present-day hanger.

(Remnants of the sign "Lakes Region Air Park" remained legible for years).

Had it been Wolfeboro's "Lakes Region Air Park", I should have remembered the occasion at the (later-day) "Air Park", but that photographed occasion (below) may have been too brief. OTOH, the purported location seems to be very different in its later-day surroundings—we never had such a "crowd" at the shoreline, the horizon's tree-line is very different, and somebody's moved that boulder!



So, to appear in a Wolfeboro-produced pamphlet, the caption is likely misleading—perhaps, instead, it taken at Merwin Horn's downtown Wolfeboro location. (I think the photo likely refers to a location other than Wolfeboro). But the important thing is to add still another photographic piece to the history of Lake Winnipesaukee's own Kitty Hawk—NC975M.