Vintage Keystone Loening K-84 Commuter Amphibian Seaplane Photo 8x10, NC10249 For Sale

Keystone-Loening K-84 Commuter Amphibian
Flying Boat Seaplane Photo 8x10 NC10249Registered 1930 ... 1979 MDC Company Print
DESCRIPTIONThis is an 8x10 black and white photograph of a Keystone-Loening K-84 Commuter amphibian flying boat, registration NC10249, shown in a three-quarter rear view on the ground with a radial engine on struts between the wings and the registration lettered on the fin.The Golden Years of Aviation register lists NC10249 as a Keystone K-84 Commuter, constructor number 325, registered in 1930 to William Thompson of Minnesota, with the registration cancelled in February 1939. No further history for this airframe was found, and nothing here claims a named flight or event for it.The K-84 Commuter was a single-engine amphibian flying boat that first flew in 1929, and early examples were powered by a 300 hp Wright radial. Museum type histories put production at about 30 aircraft built between 1929 and 1931, and one of them quotes a 1930 advertisement pricing the airplane at $16,800. It came out of the 1928 merger of Loening and Keystone, and Loening's Manhattan plant had stood on the East River.The New York City Police Department flew a K-84 Commuter with its air unit in the early 1930s, and a small number of Commuters survive in museums today. Nothing links this particular airframe to the police or to any surviving aircraft.This print is from the AITKEN COLLECTION, a binder of aviation photographs carrying the collector stamp of Donald and Barbara Aitken of Irvine, California. Donald Aitken was a Navy-trained aviator who flew helicopters and then spent his airline career as a United Airlines captain on the 747, 727, 757, 767 and DC-10, retiring in 1996. He grew up watching planes overhead in rural North Dakota and flew radio-controlled airplanes well into his later years. It is a 1979 company reprint made by McDonnell Douglas (MDC) in St. Louis, not an original period print, and it is priced as a reprint.Images were scanned at 600dpi so you can zoom in on the registration and the fine detail of the print. All photos are part of the description, including the reverse.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free sleeves. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONUsed black and white 8x10 photographic print, a 1979 company reprint. The reverse carries the blue MDC St. Louis stamp and the Aitken owner's stamp, pictured in the last photos. Expect normal age wear for a print of this era, such as light handling marks, corner softness, dust specks and minor surface marks. Please review all photos closely, as they show the exact print you will receive, and message with any questions before purchase.