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Travel Air "Mystery Ship"
(Short History)
The Travel Air "Mystery Ship" was designed and built in 1928 by the Travel Air Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, KS. Designated the model "R" the aircraft was designed and built for the upcoming 1929 National Air Races. Design and assembly of the aircraft was performed behind a curtain in a sealed off portion of the aircraft plant. It was only dubbed the "Mystery Ship" by the press after attempts to acquire information on the top secret project failed. On September 2, 1929, the date of the Cleveland National Air Races, the model "R" was finally revealed to the press and the rest of the world and easily took 1st place, beating every entry put forth by the military. This was the first year that a military aircraft had not won the National Air Races. The civilian design proved far superior and served as a wake-up call to the U.S. Military to increase funding for pursuit aircraft design and production.

The "Mystery Ship" that Matt is performing in today was re-created using original factory plans by Jim Younkin in 1979. This is the only replica, flying or otherwise, of a Travel Air "Mystery Ship" that exists today.

(Full History)
The "Mystery Ship" that Matt Younkin is performing in today was re-created using original factory plans by Matt's grandfather, Jim Younkin in 1979. Younkin's replica is the only flying example of a Travel Air "Mystery Ship" that exists today.

The Travel Air Model "R" is considered to be the grandfather of all air racers. Doug Davis's 1929 Thompson Trophy win sparked a revolution that would bring salty mail pilots and war veterans into the public spotlight as race winning heroes. In addition, everyone with a new idea for building a lighter faster airplane began turning their dreams into reality in garages and workshops all across the country with the hope of winning next years big race!

The "Mystery Ship" was designed by Herb Rawdon and Walter Burnham under the guidance of Travel Air Company owner and founder Walter Beech. (Walter Beech would later found Beechcraft which is still one of the most successful aircraft companies in the world today.)

After viewing a picture of the original "Mystery Ship" in flight without its cowling, the decision was made to test-fly Younkin's "Mystery Ship" the same way because the airplane was air-worthy before the cowling was completed. However, Younkin's airplane was almost lost during its initial test-flight because the turbulent airflow over the un-cowled engine combined with a center of gravity problem made the airplane almost un-flyable! After further research, it was discovered that the original "Mystery Ship" was almost crashed for the same reason! If it had not been for the super-human skill of Matt's father Bobby Younkin who was the test pilot, this beautiful airplane would not be performing for you today!

In addition, this Travel Air "Mystery Ship's beautiful lines inspired the Younkin tradition of black and red airplanes. The "Mystery" paint schemes on Jim's Piper Pacer and later on his Mullicoupe have been copied the world over and Bobby's Twin Beech, Learjet, Decathlon, and "SAMSON" paint schemes all trace their roots to the "Mystery Ship."

This airplane is also a movie star! It has appeared in Disney's "THE ROCKETEER" and Valerie Burtonelli's movie entitled "PANCHO BARNES." And most recently, Matt flew the airplane down to Mexico over the winter to be featured in a Land Rover commercial, which is currently airing worldwide.

Matt sees the "Mystery Ship" as the airplane that has allowed him to come full circle. He is combining his grandfather's creation with his father's passion for aerobatics and he considers it the greatest honor and privilege to fly for you here today!

Despite being built to rigid design specs, the "Mystery Ship" exceeded the engineer's calculated or anticipated airspeed by 15% on its first test flight! Its top speed was 235mph with a landing speed of 73 mph.

The original "Mystery Ship" had two sets of wings. They were made completely of spruce and covered with plywood. The first set was 27ft 8 inches long and was used for closed course racing. The second set was 29ft 2 inches long and was used for cross country and exhibition flights. Younkin's "Mystery Ship" has the 29ft 2 inch wingspan which enables it to perform the aerobatic maneuvers you are watching today.

The original "Mystery Ship" was equipped with a 9-cylinder Wright R975 radial engine which produced 300hp stock and with the performance mods added for the race cranked out over 400hp. After an extensive discussion with "Mystery Ship" designer Herb Rawdon in 1978, Jim Younkin decided to equip today's "Mystery Ship" with a 9-cylinder Lycoming R680 radial engine which also produces 300hp. Since the Lycoming engine is over 100lbs lighter than the Wright, Younkin's "Mystery Ship" performs much like the original without needing engine performance modifications.

The original "Mystery Ship" did not compete in 1930, but in 1931 it was repainted black and orange and was scheduled to attend the Thompson Trophy Race. On a test flight prior to the race, the aircraft caught fire and was destroyed after its new pilot Walter Hunter bailed out.

On a side note, Matt has one of the only surviving pieces of the original "Mystery Ship" on his mantle at home.

The Travel Air "Mystery Ship" not only introduced fully enclosed wheel covers and new NACA cowl to commercial aviation, but also contributed toward the future trend of low-wing military and commercial airplanes.

Just like the original, the "Mystery Ship" you see flying before you has a steel-tube and plywood covered fuselage which measures 20ft 2inches in length. The aircraft is also 7ft 9inches tall.