"Identify the Plane" ex US Air Corps WW1

All

The following photo appeared in a number of US newspapers in July 1932

[ATTACH=CONFIG]259420[/ATTACH]

I am interested in Frank Lipke (sometimes labelled Lipka and sometimes Edward Lipke – see below) (26 Feb 1907 to 27 March 1991) rather than Claude Lewis Grose (5th March 1906 to September 1986)

The plane is described as an ‘ex Army plane’ and I wonder if anyone can ID it from the image. Why do I see DH 4?? It is obviously at least two seater as they both go flying in it.

I am interested in Lipke as he is on the roster of the Caterpillar Club for September 16, 1932 he is listed as bailing out of an aircraft at Mishawaka, lndiana on this date (I can find no confirmation reports of this at this time – though sometimes dates and years are wrong in the roster). He certainly was living at Mishawaka, lndiana at this time

He is down as Lipka in that report.

He is an interesting character. He had a force landing in early Dec 1934 when flying 2 passengers and a control line snapped at 1,000 feet. He managed to force land between two houses, and although plane wrecked their were no injuries

He went on to work as draftsman for Bendix Products Corporation at South Bend, lndiana but was arrested for Spying for Russia in June 1940 after he was found with blueprints of a carburettor at his home. Apparently he was a member of the “Proletarian Party,” which police said was a Communist Party front

He was cleared of theses charges in August 1941 but fined $50 for stealing the blueprints, he was called ‘Edward Lipke’ in the reports. The defence contended it was a common practice for draftsmen to take blueprints home for study and as samples of their work. Judge Kitch changed the charge to petit larceny before imposing the fine. He was living in Michigan at this time and died there in 1991.

I was wondering if anyone can Id the plane in the picture as it is no doubt the one he escaped from in Sept 1932 and even though the registeration may be unknown, at least I can ID the type

Many Thanks

Paul McMillan