Hermann Carus Purchased The Travelair For $5,500 In August 1930

Aviation enthusiasts headed to EAA AirVenture 2021 will enjoy a rare sight as a 1929 TravelAir Model 10-D airplane arrives at Oshkosh, Wis.

The TravelAir—the last of its kind—will fly in on Sunday, July 25, and will be on display in the Antique section of EAA’s Vintage area throughout the week for aviators to explore.

Owned by Inga Carus and her spouse, Peter Limberger—founders of CL Enterprises, the family holding company for Carver Aero—the Travel Air has a unique history with family ties. Inga Carus’ great uncle Hermann Carus purchased the TravelAir for $5,500 in August 1930. At that time, the TravelAir was considered to be a luxurious executive aircraft. Her great uncle owned and flew the airplane out of the old Peru, Ill., airport until he sold it in 1942.
After conducting some research, Carus and Limberger discovered the family plane was owned by a private air museum in Eagles Mere, Pa. In November 2020, they purchased the aircraft from the museum and brought it home to Peru the following spring.

The beloved aircraft has been fully restored to a high-quality, flyable condition. The hunter green and beige TravelAir features its original wicker chair pattern and proves to be a precious piece of aviation history, gleaning insight to flight without modern equipment. Both Carus and Limberger fly the plane, now based at Illinois Valley Regional Airport (KVYS), and are proud to share this piece of aviation history—and family history—with aviators at EAA.

“The Carus family is continuing its rich aviation history with the acquisition of Carver Aero in 2019,” said Limberger. “Carver Aero’s purpose is to create greater opportunity for people in small towns through aviation. The TravelAir is reminiscent of the last 100 years of aviation. Carver Aero is pioneering a path to the next 100 years by recreating the wonder and inclusion of small town aviation.”

The TravelAir company was founded in 1925 by three aviation pioneers: Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman.

Each went on to create their own companies. The TravelAir 10-D displayed at EAA is the only surviving aircraft of the 11 that were produced in Kansas before the Great Depression took its toll.

FMI: www.carveraero.com, www.cl-enterprises.com