Stanavo was the aviation fuel brand of Standard Oil (Esso). This airframe was originally Vega 5 NC7440, c/n 20. It was rebuilt in September-October 1929 and the new c/n 118 was issued. 'Originally painted white, red lettering, then with eagle outline and later with full length eagle paint job, red on white.' When Jimmie Mattern acquired it in 1933 it was presumably in a dismantled state. It was refurbished using only a few parts of his crashed Vega NR869E (c/n 69), but Mattern wished to retain his old reg. He crashed the new NR869E in Siberia in June 1933. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The second Vega NR869E. The first (c/n 69) crashed during a round-the-world flight. Salvaged parts were used to prepare this plane, ex NC106N with Standard Oil, for a second attempt. The Stanovo eagle on the fuselage formed the basis for a spectacular red on blue livery. Jimmie Mattern departed solo on 3 June 1933, but found navigation difficult and crashed due to the use of tractor fuel following an unscheduled landing in Siberia. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution