Northwest replaced its initial rented duo of aircraft with a purchase in November 1926 of three (eventually four) frames from the Stinson factory in Detroit, Michigan. These aircraft were called “Detroiters” for self-evident reason and seated three passengers, with a cruising speed of 85 miles per hour and a range of about 600 miles. The Chicago-Twin Cities run would take 4-1/2 to 5 hours, including stops, depending on the weather.
NWA’s use of the Detroiter marked the very first time a closed-cabin aircraft was employed by a commercial airline. The Stinsons would remain in service into the early 1930s, sliding into support roles as newer and larger equipment came on line.
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Stinson Detroiter #2 at delivery in 1926. No registration number is on the aircraft at this time; would be assigned # C873. Photo from the James Borden Collection at the NWAHC.Stinson Detroiter #2 after delivery but before the “classic” Northwest Airways logo was applied – water and snow on the apron suggests late 1926 but no later than spring 1927. Photo from the James Borden Collection at the NWAHC.Fleet Number 1, registration C-872, at Minneapolis. Documentation says photo taken in 1926. NWAHC collection.NC872 with conventional wheeled undercarriage. Skis could and were swapped in for winter-weather operations. 1929 Northwest publicity photo. NWAHC collection.Fleet #3, registration C-874, at Minneapolis, late 1920s. NWAHC collection.Stinson SM-2AB “Junior” monoplane, fleet # 15, registration NC443H, resting with a Waco at St. Paul. NWAHC collection. This ship would be lost in January 1932 when its pilot made an emergency landing in the fog after his fuel ran out.
