Private Collection
Colt Super .38 Serial Number 9397 - Factory inscribed T &
W.A. No. 32. This pistol shipped with standard full
checkered walnut grips (the right grip has been replaced
with an grip from a Colt 1911 or Government Model.
When the company was formed, 42 Colt pistols were issued
to pilots because of postal regulations that required pilots
who transported the US mail to be armed. This pistol is
attributed to T&WA pilot Otto Ferguson. These pistols were
shipped to Smith Hardware in Columbus, Ohio in 1929. The
following year, two more were ordered bringing the total to
44
Otto Ferguson was killed in a plane crash in Pennsylvania
in 1936.
Close-up of factory roll mark T&W.A. No. 32
"The Colt Super .38 Automatic Pistol, shown
above, is "flying companion" of every Transcontinental and
Western Airways pilot. Colts are selected for this
important service because, on the Lindbergh Line" none but
the safest and most dependable equipment will do." |