Airworthy Travel Air 'Mystery Ship' for the UK

A highly accurate replica of the 1929 Travel Air Type R “Mystery Ship” is under construction at the workshops of Aero Antiques (AA) in rural Hampshire (UK). The monoplane racer is destined for pre-war civil aircraft collector Richard Seeley, whose Miles Whitney Straight flew in September 2008 after restoration by AA.


The “Mystery Ship” replica was pushed out of the Aero Antiques workshop in early June for photographs in the sun. It is registered G-TATR, the letters standing for Travel Air Type R. Photo: Airtime Paint.

The latest task completed was the covering of the steel-tube fuselage with its plywood skin, after which the opportunity was taken to move the racer outside for photogaphs in early June. The wooden wings are also now complete, as are the huge streamlined metal wheel “pants”. The racer — which has been registered G-TATR — will be powered by a 300 h.p. Lycoming nine-cylinder radial engine, replacing the 400 h.p. Wright fitted to the original Type R when it first appeared at the 1929 National Air Races at Cleveland, Ohio.

The “Mystery Ship” moniker came about owing to secrecy that surrounded the project, which began during 1928 with Walter Beech in charge. On September 2 ,1929, Doug Davis won the Thompson Trophy unlimited race at Cleveland, at a speed of 194.9 m.p.h., beating both the US Army's Curtiss XP-3A Hawk and the Navy's Curtiss F6C-6 Hawk. Five Type Rs were built: among the famous pilots who flew them were James Doolittle, Florence “Pancho” Barnes and Paul Mantz.