Starboard view of the Fleetster prototype at the time of its first flight. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The Fleetster prototype in its first guise. Photo dated one day after first flight. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

The Model 20 was a parasol wing variant of the Fleetster. This Western Canada Airways aircraft crashed into a hangar at Calgary on 16 November 1931. Photo from: Consolidated / Gerald Balzer collection

The Fleetster prototype in a demonstrator livery, with an NX reg. This should be a later shot than our photo of NC657M. Apparently the plane was returned to the manufacturer after the demise of NYRBA Line in September 1930. Photo from: Consolidated / Gerald Balzer collection

The Fleetster was designed for use within South America by NYRBA Line, a forgotten competitor to Pan Am in which Consolidated's Reuben Fleet held an interest. The Fleetster would fly through the night with evening mail to catch up with the diurnal NYRBA flying boat at its night stop. Pan Am's powerful backers deprived NYRBA of a US Post Office contract. NYRBA could not survive and NC657M was returned to the factory. The factory airfield was north of Buffalo. Photo from: Consolidated / Gerald Balzer collection