TWA purchased the 12A as an executive transport and experimental over-the-weather laboratory. Because of Frye’s use of the plane and his spearheading the TWA overweather program from the early 1930’s the ship came to be heavily associated with Jack in newspapers, books, trade publications, and in the memories of associates. It was known as Jack Frye’s private Lockheed. If you saw it landing or taking off around the United States you could be assured Frye was out in the field conducting the business of Transcontinental & Western Air. This twin engine Electra Jr. over the next 5 years of TWA ownership became Frye’s favorite in-the-air TWA office. Throughout the years every owner of the plane was told that it had been the private plane of Jack Frye. This is the rich provenance of this invaluable aviation artifact. How is this particular plane associated with Sedona? At the onset of the Sedona Legend research, I became aware of Sedona lore which stated that Jack and Helen Frye had discovered their Sedona ranch from the air in their private plane. Having always been an aviation buff I was intrigued by this story, as in 1941, this would have been quite a luxury! Jack and Helen Frye were both quoted in media publications throughout the years as saying that they were flying over the Sedona region and looked out the cockpit of their plane and knew they had found their place! Specifically, Jack related that he and Helen, from the fall of 1940, started canvassing the Southwestern United States looking for the perfect ranch property. Jack Frye came from a historic cattle ranching family in the panhandle of Texas. What he was looking for was a large enough piece of property to sustain a cattle ranch, with an ample water supply. Jack was heard to state that he followed all the waterways (as seen from the air) in New Mexico and Arizona looking for suitable ranching property. In January of 1941, Jack and Helen started investigating a region south of Flagstaff and Williams Arizona. One of these regions is what we now call the Red Rock Country. What they found below was stunning. "It was beautiful" Helen once stated, "the clouds wormed around the red rocks like little corkscrews. It took my breath away". Helen, who often sat in the co-pilot's right seat, recalled that she cried out to Jack, "that's where I want to live!" Jack was unable to land, as Sedona had no airport in 1941, and the region was uncharted even at the vast resources of Frye and TWA. So, after a few passes, they continued to where they were staying at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles where Jack was engaged in TWA business. As Jack had time, he studied topography maps of the area and identified two locations of interest which they had spotted from the Electra Jr. One was the southwestern slope of Bill William’s Mountain (Hell Canyon), this area drained into the Verde River basin. The other was the area below the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon, this region was the area Helen liked the most. Both areas were peppered with stunning red rock chasms and monoliths. In June of 1941, as a surprise for Helen, Jack flew them out to Arizona where they landed at Prescott Arizona. They taxied off the then primitive runway and parked the Lockheed Jr. in tall grass where Helen said deer observed them curiously as they grazed nearby. They rented a car and drove over to Jerome and down into what we now call old town Cottonwood where Jack tried to locate the realtor who was a listing agent for property in the area they desired. The right party turned out to be Andrew Baldwin who owned the property (now Crescent Moon Ranch) where Red Rock Crossing is (at that time called Baldwin’s Crossing). The Frye’s connected with Baldwin who showed them the old Armijo Ranch which was for sale several miles south of his ranch. The Armijo property included 80-acres with an old ranch homestead and other ranch buildings all adjoining a verdant ribbon of the then virgin Oak Creek. Jack and Helen liked what they saw and Jack bought the entire ranch on the spot. The rest is history! At the time, Jack Frye had a large home on 5-acres in Kansas City but he and Helen wanted a 'place of our own'. The significance of this story is that in 1941 Sedona was so rugged and remote that only a man like Frye with the resources of TWA (an airline he founded) would have been able to locate this remote ranch, all from the air. If it were not for the Lockheed Electra 12A Jack and Helen Frye would likely never had settled in Sedona, and the Frye name, which is now practically synonymous with Sedona, would never have been uttered. And Red Rock State Park which now occupies the last remaining undeveloped tract of the original Frye Ranch, would never be. Yes, all this thanks to the dawning of aviation, a Lockheed Electra 12A, and Jack Frye and TWA!

From Sedona to L.A.- I'm always on the lookout for images of the Lockheeds Jack & Helen Frye crisscrossed the nation in from 1941-1947. To find an image that has never been seen is so astronomically rare after 75 years it's mind-boggling. This random image was captured in about 1942 by a passerby of the Lockheed aircraft facility at Burbank California (now Bob Hope Airport). When I saw it for sale on EBay I nearly fell out of my chair as I noticed a Lockheed sitting in the hanger with TWA lettering and double stripe tail. I knew it was likely the corporate Lockheed 12A NC18137, or the TWA Lockheed 18 Lodestar NC33604, (the only two corporate Lockheeds TWA owned). In this image we can see a ladder being used to perform work on the Electra 12A NC18137 just inside the Lockheed hangar. Sometimes the synchronicity of my work astounds me. This plane was continually in the air with Jack Frye and his guests back and forth across the United States from LGA, DCA, MCI, Sedona, BUR bi-weekly on TWA business (early-1940's).

A Memory Never Erased

Because of Jack's involvement with TWA it seems many people who remember the Fryes always have a story about planes. Jack Frye was all about air transportation and Sedona's early history is forever cemented with TWA. The Frye’s ranch manager Roy Kurtz who worked for Jack and Helen Frye from 1941 to 1943 fondly remembers Jack and Helen, the ranch, and Jack’s Lockheed. One story Roy recalled when I interviewed him was a flight with the Fryes when Jack needed to go to the valley (Phoenix) to purchase stock for the ranch. Jack, who came from a long line of very successful cattle ranchers, kept his Sedona ranch stocked with bovines, more so in the early 40’s, than later. Jack and Helen (by 1948) had acquired over 50,000 acres of ranching property in Arizona alone. All this property was successfully operated.  Roy happened to be free this Saturday morning, so Jack asked him if he would like to fly down with himself, Helen, and Dolly Schuerman. Roy jumped at the chance to take a flight in the futuristic looking Lockheed 12A. Jack drove the passengers out to the Frye airstrip in his (TWA-Red) Pontiac convertible where he had his Lockheed Jr. tied down. After everyone was on board and settled into their seats, Jack started the radial engines one by one. After running them up he released the brakes, the Electra gently started rolling down the packed sod runway smooth as silk. As the plane gained speed the tail lifted and the ship rose with a throaty roar. The polished to a mirror-finish TWA Electra Jr. climbed into the sky over the Red Rock Country, it would have been a blinding sight in the intense early morning sun.  Keeping low in the air, Jack flew northeast for about 15 miles, at which he flew low over his Deer-Lick Ranch so they could all see it from the air. Roy was amazed at how small the property looked from above, a fairytale land of red rock spires and pinnacles. At Baldwin's Crossing (now Crescent Moon Ranch) Jack banked to the south and climbed to about 10,000 feet, throttling back to cruise speed. At over 200 m.p.h. they followed a sky-route from Sedona to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. In mid-flight, Jack asked Roy to come up and sit in the right seat of the cockpit and take control of the Electra (a seat Helen often occupied).  Roy related that he was very nervous and remembers resting his hand on the throttle levers of the twin R-985 Pratt and Whitney radial engines. He immediately felt the vibration of the powerful power plants and was abruptly taken aback. Jack showed him the basics of controlling the plane and then let Roy take over. At least, Jack let Roy "think" he was flying the plane. Eventually, Roy surrendered the controls back to Jack who navigated the 36 foot mini-airliner on a descent into the Valley of the Sun. In our day it takes 2 hours to drive from Sedona to Phoenix, in 1942, it would have taken more than 3 hours on the long narrow winding Highway 89A, through Jerome and Prescott, because there was no Black Canyon Freeway (I-17) at the time. On this hot summer morning it took Jack and his passengers less than 30 minutes to reach Phoenix Sky Harbor. As one of the most outstanding airplanes ever designed, the Lockheed Electra is still one of the fastest vintage twin engine planes ever produced and remained one of Jack's all-time favorite private transports. The ship’s engineering was so remarkable that both Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes, both, chose nearly identical Lockheeds for their round-the-world flights. As they neared the airspace over Phoenix Arizona, Jack radioed the tower transmitting "this is TWA-240 requesting landing clearance." This airport was very familiar to Jack, as he and his partners, Paul Richter and Walter Hamilton initiated the very first scheduled passenger service into Arizona (1927) with Jack flying the very first passenger flight! The routes between Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Douglas, and El Paso were pioneered by Standard Air Lines, with company president Jack Frye often the pilot. Later, Jack, along with TWA, launched the very first Trans-Continental and Trans-Atlantic passenger service for the United States! Roy, Helen, and Dolly visited while they watched the palm trees and burnt orange tile roofs grow in larger and closer. As the Electra's mirrored reflection raced over the ranch estates of Scottsdale they gradually glided down among TWA DC 3 airliners, settling on the tarmac with the engines rumbling lightly, as the tail dropped to the ground with a slight thump. After they taxied to a parking area Jack went through his shut down procedures, and in a moment he was opening the door and setting out the steps (the 12A did not have air-stairs). Roy waited for Helen and Dolly to be helped out of the plane by Jack and then he too jumped on to the hot skillet of the tarmac. The intoxicating fragrance of citrus trees wafted over them. A TWA courtesy car was waiting for the President of TWA and his guests, whisking them off to the (now famous) Tovrea Stockyards. Jack and Roy viewed cattle to purchase and made arrangements for them to be shipped up to Sedona in a big cattle truck. These were added to the cattle Jack had already purchased to include 20 from Roy's family ranch. (By 1947, Jack had 501, 2 to 3 year old Hereford steers at the ranch in Sedona). After Helen and Dolly returned from shopping they all had Arizona steak dinners at the stockyard’s renowned steakhouse eatery. Late in the day, after Jack took care of some business at the TWA terminal office, they returned to the Electra, which looked to Roy like a rocket ship, its nose pointed high into the sky. Jack started the engines, one by one, and they took off again, soaring into the light of a magnificent Arizona sunset. As the clearance lights twinkled far above Phoenix, Roy fell into a hypnotic trance, staring out the port window, he imagined he could see all the way to Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Over the din of the engines he could just barely hear Jack and Helen visiting with each other up in the cockpit. The dim horizon lost its light to the crimson hues of a setting sun as the executive airliner continued north to Sedona. Just as Roy was starting to relax, Jack announced they were about to touch down in 5 minutes. Roy watched intently as the ground quickly rose up to meet them. The engines, nearly silent, and almost at idle, purred as the plane swung in low and glided over the highway, where the brilliant flip-down brilliant landing lights illuminated the sagebrush and pavement like daylight. They touched down amid running jack rabbits and rolled to a stop near the ranch car. Roy stepped down from the Lockheed into the cool desert evening. The Arizona stars reflected brilliantly off the mirrored surface of the Electra and the smell of sagebrush and hot oil assailed his senses. The only sound heard was crickets and the steady ticking of the hot radial engines. A milestone in his young life Roy vowed to never forget the experience! Now, after 63 years, his memory of that special day is vivid in his 96 year old mind! Roy has now passed away, but each time I interviewed him he was a delight and a true gentleman. He never failed to mention how much he thought of the Fryes and how they had “enriched” his life! Please Note- I wrote this piece to reflect in "story-format" Roy’s recollection of his trip to Phoenix with the Fryes. I filled in details only as I felt appropriate. Roy did not mention whether there was a TWA co-pilot on board that day. Jack did fly the plane alone but more than not the crew of the Frye private planes were staffed by a captain (Frye) and TWA co-pilot. Especially, when flying out west to the Sedona ranch. This extra pilot was necessitated by Frye who always worked in the cabin on paperwork and entertained TWA clients and associates on flights. It appears this day, the co-pilot stayed behind at Cottonwood (where Jack always put his pilots up at a local motel) and Jack flew the plane down to Sky Harbor himself. A few years later (with Jack’s Lodestar) the flight crew included the Frye’s private TWA V.I.P. Hostess Harriet Appelwick, who later also worked for Howard Hughes. In regard to Dolly Schuerman, it was thought this was her first flight and at one time that she was afraid of flying, however, recently, in 2010, I found out that she was certainly not timid about flying with Jack and Helen Frye in their Lockheeds. At least twice, when the Fryes stopped in Sedona, on their way to California, Jack and Helen invited Dolly on board for a flight to the west coast, where she would visit her sister. It is not known if she was able to connect with the Fryes for the flight back. This would have been complicated as Jack's flights were 'oft delayed due to TWA business, and as well, he would often have to fly different routes due to business engagements. Stories of early flights in Jack's private planes are treasures and much sought for addition to this work!

Soon-To-Be President Harry Truman and Good Friend Jack Frye

Senator Harry Truman was a passenger on Jack’s Lockheed Electra Jr., several times over. Most the trips were hunting and fishing and not ‘official’, therefore it is difficult to document them. Jack Frye was one of the most influential men in the Democratic Party in the 1940’s and it is not at all surprising Harry and Jack became friends, let alone the fact, they both hailed from the same region of the country in regard to business (Missouri). As a mover and shaker within the hierarchy of the party, if you needed a favor or wanted something done, you picked up the phone and called Jack Frye. In July of 1944, Truman became the nominee for Vice-President of the United States. Jack was enlisted to fly Truman and other Democratic V.I.P.’s to New York City for Truman’s vice-presidential ‘make-over’. “Would you like some more eggs, Mr. Frye?” Evangeline says as she removes Jack’s plate and pours him some more coffee. “No, thank you Evangeline, I have to get going.” Helen says, “Jack, I hope you have a good time up there, but sounds more like business first, and a lot of waiting around.” Jack says, “Yes darling, it will be a long weekend, but we have to insure Truman is groomed for the presidency, especially, since Roosevelt may not finish his term due to his illness. However, we will get some card games in while we are there.” “Well, just make sure you and Bob enjoy yourselves,” Helen replies. Jack pushes his chair back, walks over, kisses Helen on the lips, and leaves the room saying, “I love you Helen.” Jack grabs his briefcase with sport jacket and leaves the mansion. He steps into the back of a limousine, “To the airport Aubrey, I had hoped I could swing by the office, but we’re out of time.” “Yes sir, Mr. Frye.” The limo pulls away from the mansion and disappears down the drive. Jack arrives at Washington National just as Bob Hannegan steps out of a long black sedan. “Well, Bob, I see you were able to get away,” Jack says with a grin as he greets Bob with a handshake and slap on the shoulder. “Yes,” Bob replies, “I feel I have to be there for this one. By the way, the girls are getting together while we are gone. Irma mentioned she and Helen are doing lunch.” “That’s great Bob! We might as well go ahead and board,” Jack states, as he and Bob walk over to Jack’s 12A parked on the tarmac. As Bob steps inside, Jack turns and confers with a TWA ground crewman in white overalls with a red TWA embossed on the back. “The plane is serviced and ready to go Mr. Frye, Is there anything else we can do for you?” “No Chester, just make sure you load the luggage as it arrives.” “Yes sir, Mr. Frye,” replies the young man. Another limousine arrives, after it glides to a stop, the chauffeur exits and opens the back door. Senator Harry Truman and Edwin Pauley step out, while Jack and Bob exit the Lockheed and walk over to greet them. Jack shows Truman around the plane as Pauley and Hannegan step inside. Finally, the TWA co-pilot arrives. He stows his luggage, follows Truman and Frye into the plane, he shuts and secures the cabin door behind them. Jack makes sure everyone is comfortable, then he makes his way to the cockpit stepping over the wing bulkhead. He sits down in the left seat, while the co-pilot settles into the right seat. After the radials fire, one by one, Chester pulls the wheel chocks and the plane taxies out on to the runaway. Jack powers up the engines and the plane pulls away as the twin tail lifts with the prop wash. The tail-dragger, now level, quickly accelerates down the runway and is off the ground in a flash. Jack banks sharply toward New York City, with the Doubleday Mansion and U.S. federal buildings spread out below the cabin windows. Hannegan, Pauley, and Truman visit in the cabin while watching the panorama below. After the 12A reaches cruise altitude, Jack asks Harry if he would like to join him in the cockpit. Truman rises and makes his way up to the right seat as the co-pilot retreats to the cabin. Jack explains to Harry the fundamentals of operation and points out various landmarks below. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Jack and Harry join the others in the rear after the co-pilot takes control of the Lockheed. On approach to New York City, Jack again takes the helm, he announces they will be landing at LaGuardia in about thirty minutes. True to his word, Jack sweeps in over Manhattan and lands at LaGuardia within twenty-nine minutes. The Lockheed taxies to a private area near the TWA terminal, where a Cadillac Series 75 limousine is waiting; the men step into the car, while the driver loads the luggage. Finally, the black Cadillac glides away toward the Sherry-Netherland at 5th Avenue and 59th Street. After the limo reaches its destination, the bell staff escorts the V.I.P.’s to the tower of the residential hotel where Pauley keeps a 3-bedroom suite. Hannegan, Pauley, and Frye occupy this floor, while Truman is booked into a suite on the floor directly below. Pauley and a friend own most the bonds for the building and maintain the suite for the duration of the war. The lavish Sherry-Netherland consists of 24-stories (a base of 10-stories crowned by a 14-story gothic tower) all overlooking Central Park. While in Manhattan, Pauley refreshes Truman’s style of dress and appearance, with the aid of his personal tailor and shirt-maker. One might wonder why Truman needed wardrobe advice in light of the fact that he was once a haberdasher by trade. Simply put, the Democratic Party was grooming the future vice-president in a more conservative manner befitting the White House, rather than the typical flashy Senator Truman style. In between the ‘make-over’ fittings, the men play cards, a pastime relished by Frye and Truman. The preferred game is poker, but they also play games, which Truman personally invents. Before the group flies back to Washington, Pauley treats Truman to 21 Club, which is near his clothier. Truman enjoys the diversion, as he had never been to the restaurant before and didn’t know it was once a speakeasy. As testament to the poker antics of Truman and Frye is a comment by Jack’s sister, Sunny Frye Thomas. Sunny attended the dedication of the new TWA Jack Frye Training Center at Kansas City, April 26, 1962, at which former president Harry Truman was the Speaker of Honor. During the ceremony, Truman nudged Sunny saying, “I liked Jack, because he’d let me win at poker!” Truman had been acquainted with Sunny years earlier when he was entertained at the Frye estate in Kansas City. He also played cards with Jack at Hillcrest Farm (the Doubleday Mansion) at Washington. In comment, after Jack’s death, Truman said of his friend, “He had imagination, which damn few businessmen have!”  In conjunction with this, Jack and Helen are also close friends with Robert E. Hannegan and his wife Irma. Robert is a democratic powerhouse and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1944-1947). He also serves as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue (1943-1944), and Postmaster General (1945-1947). Indeed, he is the Postmaster General referred to in the famous Christmas film, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947), with Maureen O’Hara and John Payne. (This story courtesy of the Jack & Helen Frye Story - the Camelot Years of TWA book.)

The Sedona Legend Web Site is a copyrighted historical photo enhanced narrative presented for educational and entertainment purposes. Some materials may be displayed in regard to the United States Fair Use Act. This web portal is totally non-profit and generates no income nor does it seek or has it ever accepted a single donation. It is an independent venture. 

Sedona Legend was envisioned and created to provide Red Rock State Park visitors a comprehensive historic overview for Jack and Helen Frye and their Deer-Lick and Smoke Trail Ranches. This effort is now officially cited by R.R.S.P. as an in depth historical venue representing Jack and Helen Frye. 

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