THE Q.E.D. SURVIVES!
A FEW DAYS AGO A FRIEND of mine passed on to me a copy of the
June issue of EAA Sport Aviation. I enjoy your publication every
time I get a copy. Unfortunately, no such aeronautical activities
as described in your publication take place in this country….
I read Craig O’Neill’s article about Jim Moss’ construction
of the Q.E.D. replica, “Colossal Construction,” (pages 70-71) and
couldn’t help but notice that the brief historical background fell
short of the actual events that made the history of the Q.E.D.
The Q.E.D. was later bought by famed Mexican aviator Capitán
Piloto Aviador (CPA) Francisco Sarabia, a friend of the previous
Q.E.D. owner, Charlie Babb. Sarabia used the Q.E.D. for a record-
breaking flight from Mexico City to New York on May 24, 1939.
The nonstop flight lasted 10 hours and 49 minutes. Unfortunately,
during the return trip a few days later, an engine shut down
(probably caused by some rags blocking the carburetor), which
brought the aircraft down into the Potomac River, killing Sarabia.
This caused a minor international commotion as the Mexican
people cried sabotage!
What is even less known is that the original Q.E.D. was retrieved
from the Potomac, sent back to Sarabia’s native state in Mexico and is
now preserved in a museum built by Sarabia’s relatives in his honor.
The Q.E.D. is preserved in Sarabia’s livery of an off-white
paint job, red flash lines, and the crossed flags of both
the United States and Mexico on both sides of the engine
cowling. The Q.E.D. is now part of the Mexican aviation
heritage and an icon for all Mexican aviation enthusiasts.
Thus, the Q.E.D. is actually the only original
preserved Granville Brothers product still in existence.
The memorial is in Ciudad Lerdo, a few miles north of
the city of the Durango.
Jaime Navarro
México City, Mexico
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