Randy Malmstrom
WACO 9. Photos I took at the Western Antique Aircraft and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon.
Editor's note: The WACO 9 was the first aircraft to be mass-produced by Advanced Aircraft Company of Troy, Ohio (founded as Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio and later renamed Waco Aircraft Company). Its structure consists of a tubular steel fuselage frame covered with fabric and a wooden wing structure also covered with fabric. The WACO 9 can accommodate three passengers (two passengers in the front open cockpit and one pilot in the rear open cockpit). The WACO 9 was equipped with several types of engines, but the most common was the Curtiss OX-5 90 horsepower V8 engine, thousands of which were produced during World War I to power the Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” military training aircraft.
The aircraft first flew in 1925, and two aircraft were demonstrated during the 1925 and 1926 Ford Reliability Air Tours, designed to promote commercial interests in the aviation industry. The WACO 9 was also the first aircraft to be equipped with aluminum floats built by EDO, which later became the largest producer of aircraft floats during World War II. A total of approximately 270 WACO 9s were built, and their design directly influenced the development of other WACO aircraft, most notably the WACO 10, which introduced many improvements to the WACO 9 design. There are currently only about 10 known WACO 9s left in the United States, including one in airworthy condition preserved by the Western Antique Aircraft and Automobile Museum. The aircraft, construction number 218, was operated by Pacific Air Transport as an airmail service aircraft and was later registered to the United States Civil Registry as NC139.
By April 29, 1960, the aircraft was certified as N139E. The aircraft was later collected by Korean War ace Dolph Overton, founder of the Wings and Wheels Museum, which operated first in Santee, South Carolina, then in Orlando, Florida, before closing in 1981. When the museum's collection was auctioned off, WAC 9 N139E was acquired by Norton Aero Ltd of Athol, Idaho, a company founded by aircraft collector Gary A. Norton, owner of the now-closed Henley Airport. In December 2001, WACO 9 was acquired by John S. Morozowsky of Zanesville, Ohio.
In the summer of 2015, the Western Antique Aircraft and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon, acquired N139E and restored it to flying condition. Today, when it's not attending museum events, you can view it in the museum's display hangar.
About the author 
Randy Malmstrom grew up in a family steeped in aviation culture. His father, Bob, was still a cadet in the United States Air Force at the end of World War II, serving in training with the United States Air Force, but he did serve in Germany during the American occupation shortly after the war, where he had the opportunity to fly various types of aircraft flown during World War II. After returning to the United States, Bob became a multi-engine aircraft sales manager and thus flew a variety of aircraft; Randy often accompanied him on these flights. In addition, Randy's cousin Einar Axel Malmstrom flew P-47 Thunder fighter aircraft with 356 Squadron at RAF Martlesham Heath. He was commanding the unit when he was shot down over France on April 24, 1944, and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war. After being repatriated at the end of the war, Einar continued his military service and achieved the rank of colonel. On August 21, 1954, while serving as deputy wing commander of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana, he was killed in a T-33 training accident. The base was named for him in October 1955 and continues to serve in what is now the United States Air Force as the home of the 341st Missile Wing. Randy's natural interest in history, particularly aviation history, coupled with his educational background and passion for World War II fighter aircraft, led him on his current path of capturing detailed aircraft tour photos and in-depth airframe histories, documenting precise descriptions of every aspect of a specific aircraft.
