JAMES RAY 1948 - 1949 CN PRESIDENT (2ND) OKC FTW James G. Ray Born Oct 27, 1896 Died May 15, 1966 at Washington DC Age 69 Date of hire Jul 1, 1948 -Ken Schultz' database (7/27/07) Posted at the FL Club: Subject: FL Club Three more deaths in the FLamily Ken Schultz sent an updated "We Remember" obituary database. Three deaths not reported before were found. JAMES RAY CN PRESIDENT (2ND) FTW James G. Ray Born Oct 27, 1896 Died May 15, 1966 at Washington DC Age 69 Date of hire Jul 1, 1948 JIM HERSHFELDT AIRCRAFT MECHANIC, LEAD MECHANIC DEN Jim J. Hershfeldt Born Mar 16, 1933 Died Jan 18, 2007 at Denver CO Age 73 Date of hire Jun 6, 1956 CHARLIE HATFIELD AIRCRAFT MECHANIC, LEAD MECHANIC DEN TUS Charlie D. Hatfield Born May 8, 1924 Died Dec 28, 2006 at Green Valley AZ Age 82 Date oif hire Mar 14, 1968 -Jake Lamkins Registered N 2895, the first Pitcairn rode the crest of the national enthusiasm for aviation in the late 1920s. Pitcairn's chief pilot, James G. Ray, placed eleventh in the 1927 Ford Reliability Tour. In the same year, Ray was seventh in the very demanding New York-to-Spokane Air Derby, demonstrating once again the durability and reliability of the plane. He also won first place in the free-for-all races held in Spokane immediately after the Air Derby, to add a flavor of speed to the growing reputation of the Mailwing. -http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/pitcairn_pa5.htm (8/2/07) James G. Ray was a Texan who flew in the war, taught school, joined Pitcairn Aviation in 1924, flew in the 1926 air tour, stayed on with Pitcairn for thirteen years. Jim Ray was quiet and serious, a big man able to fly the autogiro with the firm hand it required. For with its big, flapping, freewheeling rotor blades, the machine was top-heavy on the ground, easily capsized in a bad landing, and a thrashing, chopping monster if it got away from an inexperienced pilot. Ray was one of the organizers, in 1946, of a company called Southwest Airways. Southwest was a Phoenix based cargo carrier for the military; became a commercial airline when the war ended. The company was noted for split-second schedules at small towns along its routes. Southwest DC3s were fitted with self-contained, swing-down "AirStair" doors, and the pilot left one engine running as a male cabin attendant bustled passengers and baggage off and on. Pilots for older and more dignified airlines often complained to the Control Tower when a Southwest plane cut across the grass ahead of them or turned on a very short final to save precious seconds. And sure enough Southwest eventually slowed up, acquired stewardesses and other encumbrances of the older lines, and became part of Hughes Air West Airlines. Jim Ray joined his son in Ray and Ray, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Even then, he never had time enough for his hobbies, which included finely crafted automobiles and an unusual grownup's toy, a kite, which flew with the help of an autogiro rotor. Jim Ray passed away in 1966. -http://www.nationalairtour.org/pdf/ford_pdf_files/chapter_8_10.PDF (8/2/07) 1931 - A contraption known as the autogyro landed on the lawn of the White House. Before the Secret Service could come out with guns blazing, President Herbert Hoover shook hands with pilot, James G. Ray, and gave him a trophy! -http://www.anniston.lib.al.us/chelp.htm (8/2/07) Text with photo of James Ray and Amelia Earhart American Aviatrix Amelia Earhart American aviator Amelia Earhart (1897 - 1837) and James G. Ray (d. 1966) pose with a Pitcairn-Cierva PCA-2 autogiro before Earhart's first flight in the machine, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, December 19, 1930. Earhart was the first woman ever to pilot an autogyro. (Photo by New York Times Co./Getty Images) -http://editorial.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?mlt=3159718 (8/2/07) Email to Ken Schultz Do you have any additional info on James Ray, the 2nd CN president, you added to the We Remember list? What years was he president and when did he leave CN? -Jake Lamkins (8/2/07) James G. Ray has been near the bottom of my research list for several years, but I pick up info from time to time. In the summer of 2004 while driving to California, I stopped in Carson City, NV. specifically to visit the Nevada Secretary of State's office to gather info on Central and Frontier, since they both were Incorporated in Nevada. The Corporate info for both Frontier and Central was on 5x7 microfiche cards. I requested a complete copy of Central's records, which was mailed several months later, and also selected Frontier records. The info on the microfiche cards is the required annual form listing the officers and directors for the company for the year with the starting date of July1. Central Airlines date of Incorporation; 31 July, 1944. 1944/45, Guy O. Marchant, President. Keith Kahle V/President. W.C. Marchant, Secy./Treasurer. 1945/46, Guy O. Marchant, President. Keith Kahle V/President. W.C. Marchant, Secy./Treasurer. 1946/47, Guy O. Marchant, President. Keith Kahle V/President. W.C. Marchant, Secy./Treasurer. 1947/48, Guy O. Marchant, President. Keith Kahle V/President. W.C. Marchant, Secy./Treasurer. 1948/49, James Ray, President. Guy O. Marchant V/ President, William C. Marchant , Secy/Treas., Directors; James Ray, Guy O. Marchant, Keith Kahle, William C. Marchant, Luther Bohannon. 1949/50, Keith Kahle, President. R.E. Harding, Jr., V/President. Donald B. Erhart V/President. Deane Gill, Secy. / Treasurer. Directors: Keith Kahle, R.E. Harding Jr., Donald B. Erhart, Deane Gill, F. Kirk Johnson. About a year ago I got around to looking at the package of annual reports and discovered that for the year 1948/49, James G. Ray is listed as President, and also as a Director for Central Airlines. The form is very light-barely legible so I requested another copy, but they sent a copy that was worse than the first one they copied, saying that that the microfiche card was extremely light. However, using a magnifying glass it can be read. AVIATION EXPERIENCE and references of JAMES G. RAY found up to this time: 1. Nevada Secretary of State, Corporate, annual reporting form listing officers and directors. 2. CAB, reports, 1941, James G. Ray, Director of South West Airlines. 3. American Aviation magazine; June 15, 1946, James Ray V.P. of South West Airways. 4. American Aviation magazine; Feb 1, 1948, James G. Ray advisor to Central Airlines. OTHER: James G. Ray obituary: N.Y. Times, May 16, 1966, pg. 37, col. 1 SSDI, James Ray, SSN 162-07-5586. It would appear that James Ray was brought into the Central organization mainly as a consultant due to his aviation experience, but he was not considered important enough to be mentioned in any of the Central histories I have seen. -Ken Schultz 8/3/07) JAMES G. RAY DIES; AVIATION PIONEER; Early Racing and Test Pilot Helped Develop 'Copter May 16, 1966, Monday Page 37, 451 words DISPLAYING FIRST PARAGRAPH - WASHINGTON, May 15 (AP) James G. Ray, a World War I Army flyer, a veteran racing and test pilot and a pioneer in the development of helicopter travel in the United States, died today in Doctor's Hospital. He was 69 years old. -http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40A13F93E59117B93C4A8178ED85F428685F9 (8/3/07) Pioneer Autogiro Is Given to Smithsonian; Safety Factors Are Praised at Ceremony July 23, 1931, Thursday Special to The New York Times. Page 7, 263 words DISPLAYING FIRST PARAGRAPH - WASHINGTON, July 22. The first autogiro ever flown in the United States ended its career here this afternoon when James G. Ray landed the machine in a small parkway in front of the Smithsonian Institution before a large assembly of aviation officials and enthusiasts. -http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B1FFC385F11738DDDAA0A94DF405B818FF1D3 (8/3/07) James G. Ray, 69 Copter Firm Head The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) - Washington, D.C. Date: May 17, 1966 James G. Ray, 69, president of the helicopter firm which is planning to provide passenger service between Washinton, Baltimore and the three area airports, died of leukemia Sunday at Doctors Hospital. -http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/152995312 (8/3/07) Posted at the FL Club: James Ray, 2nd CN president http://FAL-1.tripod.com/James_Ray.html Frankly, I had never heard of James Ray until Ken Schultz sent some info a month or so ago. And now Ken has sent two photos of CN's second president with Thomas Edison, the renowned inventor. Ray, it is turning out, is one of those little known aviation pioneers who influenced many aspects of the development of aviation. Keith Kahle started two airlines before CN and one of them was Southwest Airways. Ray seems to have been involved there too. Southwest somehow morphed from an OK operation into a CA operation. James Stewart, the actor, who was later a CN board member, was involved with Southwest too. The California version of Southwest was later renamed Pacific Airlines which merged with Bonanza and West Coast airlines on Apr 17, 1968 to form Air West. Air West, in turn, became Hughes Air West - then Republic West - then Republic in Oct 1980 - then Northwest on Oct 1 1986. There's a lot of fascinating airline history that needs exploring. Another good reason to get an Old Frontier Airlines Historical Society going. Otherwise, all this great FL history is going to be eventually lost to a great extent. -Jake Lamkins (9/6/07) FLacebook - FL Club FLight West: James Ray FTW CN president James Ray's memorial webpage has been updated: http://FAL-1.tripod.com/James_Ray.html Of all the colorful characters in Frontier's past, CN's second president ranks with the most interesting of them. -Jake Lamkins (12/23/15)