Jack & Helen Frye Story – the Camelot Years of TWA
Frye Aviation Legacy
Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. Trans World Airlines TWA
By Randall Reynolds
To purchase my Biography-Novel-Love Story please click: Jack & Helen Frye Story – the Camelot Years of TWA which is available on Amazon in Softcover or Kindle
Jack Frye – Burdett Airport – Standard Airlines – Los Angeles
Western Avenue & 104th Street, Inglewood California
Glory Days of West Coast Aviation
On this page you will find a unique window into the Burdett Aerodrome operation found nowhere else in the world. Images found in an old album never seen by the public, until now, all displayed for the sole purpose of bringing to life the glorious beginnings of west coast aviation.
Occasionally, I’m offered such historic materials; however, many times these materials are offered with uncomfortable strings. Refreshingly, the Smith archive has been offered to Sedona Legend, just to get it out there, with no shading or agenda. Gracious thanks to Denis Smith for his insight and efforts!
The showcase is oriented around Jack Frye’s association with Burdett Airport, as before he came on the scene in 1922-1923, Burdett Field was just another dusty Los Angeles landing strip, initially just an empty lot. Although Burdett Fuller founded the airfield, I dare say, he himself would agree it was Jack Frye’s association which launched it to stellar heights. After meeting Frye, Burdett almost immediately offered him a 50/50 partnership. Why? Because he recognized in Jack a successful drive toward the development and future of aviation. Certainly, one of the smartest moves Fuller ever made to be sure. The Burdett-Frye partnership is legendary, and the aviation school born at this time on Western Avenue in Los Angeles (Inglewood) became the West Coast’s finest!
With great men comes great change, for its these men of vision, charisma and perseverance who are the catalysts who change our world. Burdett Airport is remembered as a shining example of all things stellar regarding the west coast’s immersion into an exciting new world of aviation. Because of this accomplishment the imprint of this flight operation has reached historic heights in the collective aviation memory of our country. Jack Frye was the hub at which this wheel of accomplishment spun. Not only did this experience enable him to branch into numerous related ventures and associations, but in time, he became the most valuable founding force of Aero Corporation, Standard Air Lines, and T.W.A., not to mention his association with Western Air Express. Great men gravitated toward him and monumental milestones were accomplished. With the essence of a true visionary and entrepreneur, Jack Frye affected the lives of millions of people. Yet, in barely 50 years, he was gone from our planet. Thankfully though, his legacy of flight will continue for an eternity!
The person responsible for this photographic archive is an energetic young aviator named June Smith. This pilot, in his early to mid-twenties, and through a close association with Frye and Fuller, captured some of the earliest images which exist of this era (1924-1929). June flew with the men of Burdett Field, worked alongside them, and socialized with them. In time, he came to know a young Paul Richter as well, this, after Richter came to be associated with Fuller and Frye in 1925. It was Frye and Fuller who taught June how to fly (September of 1924). Later, by 1925, Frye also taught Aero and T.W.A. founders, Richter and Walt Hamilton, to fly as well. By 1927, June was working for Standard Air Lines, and eventually by 1929, he took a position as manager and Chief Pilot for the Golden Eagle School of Aeronautics at Glendale Arizona
June Smith Photographic Archive
Lunch stand for passengers Burdett Airport (1925)
Jack Frye overflight Los Angeles (1924)
Jack Frye and June Smith posing with WWI Era Curtiss K6 Standard Bi-Plane
Jack Frye with passenger and pet, it must be noted that Jack initially found employ flying passengers over Los Angeles (1926)
June Smith (1926)
The following images courtesy of retired Judge Burt Cosgrove at Albuquerque New Mexico. Burt was gracious in sharing his memorabilia of early Arizona aviation, these photographs give us a window in time of Standard Airlines at Tucson Arizona. Will add captions as time permits
(Images shown above and below) show a Standard Airlines transport at Tucson after a landing wheel collapse likely from a hard landing. Just look at the massive engine
Portrait of Jack Frye, President Founder of Standard Airlines (1928)
Images (above and below) were captured at Tucson Municipal Airport (now Davis-Monthan A.F.B.). The plane and its passengers made many landing and departures on August 4, 1929 at Tucson, with flight originating at Los Angeles. The lady in patterned dress (front and center) is movie starlet Priscilla Dean. The tall man in suit (7th from left) is Standard Airlines founder and president Jack Frye. The lady in white with scarf around her head (5th from right) is famous aviatrix and 13 Hollywood Black Cat member Gladys Ingle, and Jack’s wife Debbie Greer Frye, is (5th from right). Additional passengers who are thought to appear in the above image but unfortunately are yet to be identified are Harry O. Steiger, Jack Dean, J. S. Dawley, W. L. Beebe, H. C. Eller, G. Nuckols, A. W. Poole, F. W. Oakes, and Ernest V. Moore
Movie starlet and guest of honor for day is Priscilla Dean (seen above) unidentified is Daisy Richter wife of Jack’s partner Paul Richter
Jack Frye and first wife Debbie D. Greer are shown (above) August 4, 1929 hosting the inauguration of first Fokker tri-motor luxury passenger airliner service for Standard Airlines California-Arizona-Texas route. On the same date Standard added Douglas Arizona and El Paso Texas to its service route. Three new planes were put into service on this hot summer day christened the Californian, Arizonan, and Texan. Two years earlier on November 28, 1927, Aero Corporation of California (Standard) launched the first westbound passenger service- Los Angeles-Phoenix-Tucson. Jack Frye, served as president of both companies and was also founder along with Walter A. Hamilton and Paul E. Richter. Frye was pilot of the November 28, 1927 inaugural single-engine Fokker flight and the flight noted here. This all said, according to Jack’s sister Sunny, Debbie has never been given full credit for her selfless support of Jack and his airline endeavors. As to this Debbie’s family has been most supportive of this work and conveying Debbie’s sojourn with Jack. Images (above) were scanned at meeting with retired Judge Burt Cosgrove at Albuquerque New Mexico. Burt was gracious in sharing his memorabilia of early Arizona aviation
Very rare image of Standard Airlines Tri-Fokker, NC-581K, the Arizonan at gate in California (location unknown) about 1929. Purchased recently the back shows (Wharfleld’s Photo Service, 4453 West 114th Street, Los Angeles California). From IA Internet: NC-581K was a historic 1928 Fokker F.10 trimotor airliner named The Arizonan, operated by Standard Air Lines. Flown by airline founders Jack Frye and Paul Richter, it set a 23,200-foot altitude record in September 1929 before passing to Western Air Express
‘Flew To Ceiling’ Jack Frye (right) and Paul E. Richter, Jr. (left) officials of Aero-Corporation of California, flew a Tri-Motored F-10 Fokker, loaded with 2200 lbs. sand to an altitude of 23,800 feet, to establish a new unofficial altitude record for commercial planes of that type. Previous record, Waldo Waterman, July 1929. The Fokker’s barograph must be officially calibrated in Washington D.C. to make it official (23,800 ft.). Flight made from Standard Field at Los Angeles, September 15th (Written by Miss R. West, updated by Sedona Legend) Published September 19- 1929
Debbie Greer and Jack Frye (1926) at Burdett Field, Western Avenue & 104th, Los Angeles, California (Inglewood)
Biography of Debbie Greer as researched and written by Sedona TWA
Debbie D. Greer Frye Santos was born in Taylor Texas to Alta and Finis Greer, her parents originally from Tennessee. Debbie, although from humble roots, was no small-town girl
In the 1920’s she moved out to sunny California where she became a dancer with the Los Angeles Follies, performing in downtown Los Angeles. This it is thought where she likely met her first husband, soon-to-be aviation legend Jack Frye. Shortly after they were married on September 4, 1924 at Tijuana Mexico. (Cited by Jack Frye’s long-time TWA executive secretary Jean Phillips)
Jack and Debbie lived in Santa Monica (Inglewood) Los Angeles, and later, Kansas City. Residents of the Frye household were Debbie and Jack, her mother Alta, Jack’s sister Sunny, and at one time Jack’s brother Don. Debbie was always a go-getter and worked during mid-1920’s as a manager at a Mercantile at Western and Manchester Avenue(s). Jack’s sister Sunny Frye would come in and help Debbie at times by getting change for the clerks, etc., and running errands
During mid-1920’s, at the infancy of aviation, Debbie helped her husband Jack greatly as he built Burdett Airfield operations into the largest private airport on the west coast. During this time Standard Air Lines initiated the very first passenger service between Los Angeles-Phoenix-Tucson-El Paso, and later, the very first trans-continental-rail passenger service for the United States. Debbie was a beloved early fixture of Burdett Flying School Airport, Aero Corporation of California, and Standard Air Lines, all of which her husband served as founder-president. Debbie was a V.I.P. celebrity at all the early milestone inaugural events which were well covered by the press nationwide
By 1930 her husband Jack was an executive of Western Air Express with an office in downtown Los Angeles. The Fryes had moved up in the world of high-finance and business. Shortly after Debbie witnessed her husband finding Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc., or TWA as we know it, a move which made Jack Frye an aviation legend in the airline industry. Debbie Greer was right there at his side, front and center, and many monumental decisions which affected the world of aviation were planned around the Frye kitchen table
Debbie Greer Frye was warmly credited by Jack Frye’s sister as helping her brother (Jack) get started in his illustrious aviation
Debbie Greer Frye (left) courtesy family member Carol Lampo
Jack Frye portrait, Standard Airlines Field, Los Angeles (1927)
Sedona TWA Online Presentations:
Standard Airlines – Aero Corporation 1920’s
Transcontinental & Western Air TWA 1930’s
TWA President Jack Frye Northrop Gamma 2D
Transcontinental & Western Air TWA 1940’s
A-Broad With Eleven Yanks – A Memorial to Boeing Superfortress 42-24698
TWA President Jack Frye Executive Plane Lockheed Electra 12A
TWA President Jack Frye Executive Plane Lockheed Electra 12A Robinson
TWA President Jack Frye Executive Plane Lockheed Lodestar 18
TWA Executive Mansion Doubleday Washington D.C.
Winslow Airport TWA Hub & Cross-Country Service
Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. (Helen and Neil)
Sedona Frye Tumblr Blog
The Sedona Legend Web Site is a copyrighted historic photo enhanced narrative presented for educational and entertainment purposes. Images are displayed in regard to the United States Fair Use Act and private archives. Sedona Legend was envisioned and created to provide Red Rock State Park visitors with a comprehensive historic overview of Jack and Helen Frye’s Sedona ranches and Jack Frye’s involvement with Standard Airlines and TWA. Sedona TWA is totally non-profit and generates no income, nor does it seek, or has it ever accepted a single donation, it is independently funded by Sedona Legend Publishing. This online presentation is encouraged by the many friends of Jack and Helen Frye and was launched at Sedona’s Red Rock State Park as result of volunteering for (two) 6-month sojourns. A gracious thank you to Red Rock State Park staff and volunteers for their enthusiasm and the Frye and Varner families for their invaluable support
23-years of Research & Presentation
Created By Randall D. Reynolds (Sedona Legend Publishing)
Copyright © 2003/2026 All Rights Reserved