Walter Herschel Beech
Walter Herschel Beech (* January 30, 1891 in Pulaski, Tennessee, † November 1950 ) was an American pilot, aircraft designer and entrepreneur.
The son of a farmer already had on the family farm to do as a child with agricultural technology, an entry for the adolescents, who left the farm as a youth representative at a truck manufacturer was.
Has always been to Beech interested in flying, and so he made a pilot's license. His first solo flight dated July 11, 1914.
When the United States entered the First World War, Walter Beech enlisted in the Air Force, where he served not only as a pilot but also as a flight instructor and aircraft technicians.
After his military service Beech belonged to the " Barnstormern " who moved with their machines from place to place to inspire people for flying. As a machine used Beech at this time, a model of Curtiss, " Jennie " called.
1921 Beech sold the machine, bought from the proceeds of a piece of land and entered a job in a small aircraft factory in Wichita, the EM Laird Company, where he worked in the design office and also as a test pilot. In personal union Beech took over the role of equal Vorführpiloten and seller. Incidentally, he also produced with the Laird "Swallow " machines successfully adapted to the then hugely popular air race in part, in which the aircraft manufacturer could demonstrate the performance of their products.
1924 Walter Beech had risen by his dedication to the Director General of the company, the company but left a short time later and, together with Clyde Cessna his first company, the Travel Air Manufacturing Company.
It is recorded that Walter is said to have operated as a child on the family farm attempts to build from all sorts of materials available an airworthy glider - allegedly also once some of his mother just bought sheets have fallen these experiments victim -, Walters first but structures to have been very successful.
It was different with the first aircraft, which has been prepared in his new company, a dreisitziger single-engine biplane, which was equipped with an engine from old military stocks; this engine was an unusual for that time streamlining.
Fairly quickly, the company had a name and became within 4 years one of the most famous manufacturer of small transport aircraft.
The reasons for the success were the one hand, the absolute will Walter Beechs, not only good, but the best aircraft to build and on the other hand the long haul boom in the U.S. after the transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh 1927. This trend took Beech and sent a plane from its production, the "City of Oakland ", from California to Hawaii; the distance traveled by the machine in 25 hours and 36 minutes.
This success brought Beech a significant production orders. The economic success continued, and in the late 1920s, Beech had the highest production figures of all U.S. aircraft manufacturer. In addition to the standard machines also have a single piece was at Beech built race machines "Mystery Ship", which reached a top speed of 300 km / h early 1929.
Despite all the success the Great Depression also went to Beech not over, and to save the company was a merger with the Curtiss -Wright Company, connected to a closure of the old manufacturing facilities in Wichita. Walter Beech was Vice President of Curtiss -Wright Company, but increased already in 1932 there again, went back to Wichita and ventured there with the Beech Aircraft Company ( later Beechcraft ) a new beginning.
As early as 1930 Beech had married his long-time secretary Olive Ann Mellor. His wife, with the Beech later had two daughters, was responsible in the new company for the business side, while Walter intensely turned his new goal, to build a fast, yet comfortable business aircraft, actually an anachronism in this era of cash-strapped.
The initial design, a biplane called Beechcraft No. 1, flew on 4 November 1932 but remained a one-off. The development, called the Model 17, but reached production stage and later received due to its high dislocation Hydrofoil the catchy name Staggerwing. The Staggerwing was the first of a series of highly successful aircraft that left the Beechcraft factory.
In November 1950, Walter Herschel Beech died of a heart attack, his wife took on the company continuing in the sense of her husband.