- Walter Herschel Beech
Walter Herschel Beech (
January 30 ,1891 –November 29 ,1950 ) was an American pioneer aviator.Born in
Pulaski, Tennessee , Beech started flying at age 14, when he built a glider of his own design. Then, after flying for the U.S. Army duringWorld War I , he joined theSwallow Airplane Company as a test pilot. He later became General Manager of the company. In 1924, Beech joinedClyde Cessna in co-foundingTravel Air Manufacturing Company , which was to become the world's largest producer of both monoplane and biplane commercial aircraft. When Travel Air merged with theCurtiss-Wright Airplane Company, Beech became vice-president of the new corporation.In 1932 he and his wife,
Olive Ann Beech , co-foundedBeech Aircraft Company . Their early Beechcraft planes won theBendix Trophy . DuringWorld War II , he produced more than 7,400 military aircraft. The twin Beech AT-7/C-45 trained more than 90 percent of theU.S. Army Air Forces navigator/bombardiers and 50 percent of its multi-engine pilots.Beech died from a heart attack on
November 29 ,1950 . He and his wife are buried at Old Mission mausoleum inWichita, Kansas .References
*cite book |last= Dick |first= Ron |authorlink= |coauthors= Dan Patterson |editor= |others= |title= Aviation Century: The Early Years |accessdate= 2007-01-23 |date= 2003 |publisher= Boston Mills |location= Erin, Ontario |isbn= 1-55046-407-8 |pages= 206 |chapter= Great Names
External links
* [http://www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5843 Biography at Hill Air Force Base website]
* [http://nationalaviation.blade6.donet.com/components/content_manager_v02/view_nahf/htdocs/menu_ps.asp?NodeID=-1645502171&group_ID=1134656385&Parent_ID=-1 Biography at National Aviation Hall of Fame]
* [http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/collections/ms/97-02/97-2-a.html Archive - Walter H. and Olive Ann Beech Collection at Wichita State University]
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