I don’t have a lot of information on this photo other than it was a parade of some sort through the streets of Burbank. That Studebaker truck on the left didn’t change between 1941 and 1948, so we can’t use it to nail down a date. My guess is that this parade took place on San Fernando Rd, and that it was circa late 1940s, maybe early 1950s. I don’t know what sort of airplane that is, but it sure looks slick. Perhaps an aircraft enthusiast can identify it for us.
** UPDATES **
The Kodachrome photo was taken at the corner of San Fernando and Verdugo in 1950. Below is the reverse view looking toward the intersection with Ralphs on the right:
Casey W: “Looks to me like the plane is an Ercoupe 415, which was first made in 1940.”
Ian S: “The airplane is an ERCO Ercoupe.”
Dan R: “The Ercoupe was designed as a safer way to fly. The rudders and ailerons were interconnected and the elevator was restricted to prevent a stall. They even sold some in retail stores.”
Shawn B. “The Ercoupe has a paint scheme/logo that indicates that it’s a 1945-1950 415-C model, although with the heavy-duty front gear on it, it could be as new as 1949; in 1950 Saunders Aviation bought out ERCO, and the new paint scheme generally included a stripe from the logo on the cowl all the way down the fuselage.”
The Burbank Furniture Co. was located at S. San Fernando at Angeleno. It appears to have closed prior to 1953. It is possible this was a plane model built for Burbank on Parade in May 1947.
I think it was an Ercoupe.
Thanks, Earl!
That is the corner of San Fernando Road and Verdugo.
1946 Ercoupe 415-C. I had about 50 flying hours in my dad’s Ercoupe and a couple of Cessna 152s at Whiteman Airpark in Pacoima (last I checked, old N3627H was still at Whiteman 40 years later)… 🙂
Thanks much, MMM
With everyone in military uniforms, wouldn’t Civil Air Patrol (CAP) be likely as the intended use for the plane? Perhaps there are some old CAP records or news articles that mention the parade event.
Excellent point, Al! My father used his ‘Coupe for CAP duties up until his passing in 1982…
Uniforms seem to be Army colors (USAAF) which would pre-date the turning over of CAP command to the newly formed U.S. Air Force in 1947. The fuselage appears to bear the identifying roundel (triangle in circle) associated with coastal (or border) patrol operations during WWII. All in all, seems likely this is in 1947 or slightly earlier.