Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

KittyHawk · 01-20-2013, 06:23 AM

Yes, Bill Champlin was the owner of NC975M, hiring a young Bill Harmon as a pilot/mechanic to work on rebuilding the Kitty Hawk and to fly for him at Skyhaven Air Service. From what I read from Bill Harmon, the Kitty Hawk and Bill Champlin gave him a leg up in flying which led to a tremendous career as a pilot for American Airlines.

Skyhaven owned the Kitty Hawk, rebuilt it and flew passengers from the Lake for just a short time before selling it to Bill Muzzey. Muzzey made real use of her for almost a decade, flying from Paugus Bay Seaplane Base, according to his notes in the airplane logbooks. At the end, Bill had one very tired airframe, which he sold to Bill Harmon and Mr. Pashley.

They rebuilt her over the course of many years, finally flying in 1973 for a total of 4 hours before the engine quit and she went down just past Mr. Lyman Rice's grass strip. Bill Harmon put the pieces in his garage until 2007, when he sold it to a gentleman from CT who moved it into another storage garage.

I found her in 2011 and began restoration in earnest with hopes to fly in 2014 - " Lord willin' and the crick don't rise." Then, we'll head up Lake Winnipesaukee way for a reunion.

01-20-2013, 06:23 AM	#21
KittyHawk Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Shenandoah Valley, VA Posts: 21 Thanks: 1 Thanked 28 Times in 6 Posts	Bill Champlin News Yes, Bill Champlin was the owner of NC975M, hiring a young Bill Harmon as a pilot/mechanic to work on rebuilding the Kitty Hawk and to fly for him at Skyhaven Air Service. From what I read from Bill Harmon, the Kitty Hawk and Bill Champlin gave him a leg up in flying which led to a tremendous career as a pilot for American Airlines. Skyhaven owned the Kitty Hawk, rebuilt it and flew passengers from the Lake for just a short time before selling it to Bill Muzzey. Muzzey made real use of her for almost a decade, flying from Paugus Bay Seaplane Base, according to his notes in the airplane logbooks. At the end, Bill had one very tired airframe, which he sold to Bill Harmon and Mr. Pashley. They rebuilt her over the course of many years, finally flying in 1973 for a total of 4 hours before the engine quit and she went down just past Mr. Lyman Rice's grass strip. Bill Harmon put the pieces in his garage until 2007, when he sold it to a gentleman from CT who moved it into another storage garage. I found her in 2011 and began restoration in earnest with hopes to fly in 2014 - " Lord willin' and the crick don't rise." Then, we'll head up Lake Winnipesaukee way for a reunion.