source
of the gallery
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Gallery 1,
Early Years, 1911-1912
GALLERY 2
EARLY YEARS & NORTH ISLAND 1912-JUNE, 1915
Gallery 3, Chicago, 1915-1916
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Gallery 5
Johnson Airplane & Supply 1920-1925
Gallery 6, Barnstorming,
1923-1925
Gallery 7, First Diesel
Flight,1927-1931
Gallery 8, Endurance Flight,
1931
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Gallery 9,
Post Endurance Flight, 1931
Gallery 10,
EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION 1932 TO 1993
Gallery 10-1,
Miscellaneous, 1931 TO 1941
Gallery 11, War Years, 1940
TO 1946
Gallery 12, POST WAR,
1947-1957
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#TOP
Gallery 1, Early Years, 1911-1912
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Someday
It Will Be Me!
The first time he saw an aeroplane was in
Ashland, Wisconsin, September 1911. This was
just eight years after the Wright Brothers made
their first official heavier-than-air flight.
Walter was fascinated. He played hooky from his
job as chauffer and spent the day at the fair
grounds watching them "set the plane up". In
those days, they took the planes apart, crated
them and shipped them by train from one city to
another.
Shortly
thereafter, Walter signed up with the Aero
Exhibition Company to learn to fly. After some
weeks in St. Augustine, Florida, he discovered
that the whole deal was a scam. He next managed
to find employment with Tom Benoist.
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& View Text
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Curtiss
Ad in Town & Country
July, 1911 |
Aviation
Ads, Town & Country
July, 1911 |
Beckwith
Havens
Ashland, WI
September, 1911 |
Walter
The Chauffer
September, 1911 |
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Benoist
Ashland, WI
1911 |
Walter
Lees & Otto Brodie
St. Augustine, FL
January, 1912 |
Walter
in a Bleriot Type XI
St Augustine
January, 1912 |
Otto
Brodie & Farman Biplane,
St. Augustine
March,1912 |
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Benoist
Tractor
Type XII, No. 31
June, 1912 |
Lees
In A Benoist
November, 1912 |
Benoist
Wreck
Kinloch, MO
May, 1912 |
Cicero
Field, Chicago, 1912 |
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Beckwith
Havens
Charlottesville, VA
1912 |
Benoist
Tractor Type Biplane |
Capo's
Launch
St. Augustine, FL, 1912 |
Korn
Brothers,1911 |
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#TOP
GALLERY 2 EARLY YEARS & NORTH ISLAND 1912-JUNE,
1915
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After his
experiences in St. Augustine, Walter got a job
working for Tom Benoist in St. Louis. It was
there that he made his first and unauthorized
solo. Walter next went to North Island near San
Diego, CA in the Spring of 1914. Curtiss had
established his school on the island in January
of 1911. Walter attended the Curtiss School
until mid 1915 when he graduated and left for
Chicago. While at the school, he qualified on
both the land and sea planes. His first job
after graduating was flying a Curtiss F-Boat
owned by Steward McDonald in Chicago.
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Benoit
Factory
May, 1912 |
Benoist
at The Bluffs
California Pass |
Lieut.
Towers Flying Boat Run
May, 1913 |
First
Scheduled Airline
December, 1914 |
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First
Scheduled Airline , Tony Jannus 1914 |
Benoist
Commemorative Flight, 1984 |
Raymond
V. Morris
in E Boat, 1913 |
Langley,
1914 |
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Curtiss
Flying Boat, North Island
Jan. 26, 1915 |
Curtiss
School Boat, North Island
Jan. 26, 1915 |
Walter
at Coronado Beach
Cal. Feb. 7, 1915 |
Lunch
at Curtiss Camp
North Island, 1915
Cal. Feb. 7, 1915 |
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Jimmy
Johnson & Walter
North Island, Apr. 4, 1915 |
Walter
& "Jim",
North Island, 1915 |
Walter
& Land Tractor, North Island, 1915 |
Walter
& "The Gang", 1915 |
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#TOP
Gallery 3, Chicago, 1915-1916
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On June 17,
1915, Walter married Loa Lloyd. He continued
flying the Curtiss F-Boat "Alice" for Steward
McDonald. He was primarily involved in carrying
passengers for joyrides over Lake Michigan and
Lake Geneva. Later, he flew for the Curtiss
Airplane Company in Buffalo on Lake Erie. Forrest Wysong, later
President of the Early Birds of Aviation,
recalls flying with Walter in an F-Boat.
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View Text
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Walter
Marries
Loa Lloyd
June 17, 1915 |
Launching
F-Boat, 1915 |
Curtiss
F-Boat "Alice"
Chicago
June, 1915 |
Curtiss
F-Boat "Alice"
Chicago
June, 1915 |
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Loa
& Walter in the
Curtiss F-Boat "Alice"
June, 1915 |
Curtiss
F-Boat "Alice"
Illinois Naval Militia
June, 1915 |
Walter
& Loa Lees
June, 1915 |
Curtiss
F Boat "Alice"
Lake Geneva
June, 1915 |
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Curtiss
F-Boat, 1915 |
Curtiss
F-Boat, 1915 |
Ray
Applegate's Hydro-plane, 1915? |
Curtiss
F-Boat "Alice", Lake Geneva
June, 1915 |
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Curtiss
F-Boat at Lake Geneva
June, 1915 |
Fifteen
Small Photos from the Book,
ST. NICHOLAS Published by The Century Co.,
1915 |
Waterskiers
Luke Field, Hawaii |
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#TOP
Gallery 4, Newport News, World War I,
1915-1917
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The Anchorage 1916
When Loa and Walter arrived in Newport News,
they were lucky enough to find housekeeping
rooms in Dr. Pressy's house. The Pressey house
was called "The Anchorage". It still stands at
411 Chesapeake Avenue.
Walter is quoted:
"Our first baby, Betty, was born March 9,
1916. I was at the station when Aunt Emma
called me and said Loa had started to have
labor pains and was going to the hospital.
I was so
excited, Captain Tom said Ted Hequemburg
should fly me there. The hospital was across
the street from Hampton Roads. We landed right
in front of the hospital and nosed the flying
boat up on the shore. I rushed into the
hospital in my flying clothes, helmet and
goggles, demanding, 'Where's my wife?'" She
had had to walk from our house and hadn't
arrived yet.
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Atlantic
Coast Aeronautical Station
December, 1915 |
Atlantic
Coast Aeronautical Station
December, 1915 |
Curtiss
H-10
Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station
December, 1915 |
Curtiss
Aviation School or
Atlantic Coast Aeronautical Station
1916 |
Pilots
at Newport News, 1916 |
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Pilots
at Newport News, 1916 |
Pilots
at Newport News, 1916 |
Gen.William
Mitchell
Spring, 1917 |
General
Mitchell's Daughters
Spring, 1917 |
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World
War I Schools
Chanute, Selfridge, Ellington
Gerstner, Brooks, 1917 |
Earl
Southee
Princeton Flying School
June, 1917 |
Paul
Culver
Princeton Flying School
June, 1917 |
Princeton
Flying School
June, 1917 |
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Katherine
Stinson
August, 1919 |
Walter
& Loa Lees
August, 1919 |
Mrs.
A.S. Heinrich
August, 1919 |
Curtiss
Jennies, 1917-1918 |
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#TOP
Gallery 5 Johnson Airplane & Supply 1920-1925
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Barnstorming
1919-1923
Walter worked for the Oregon, Washington &
Idaho Airplane Company. Vic
Vernon was the chief
pilot. They had Curtiss Jennys (JN-4s), Oriole
land planes, and Curtiss F and M-F Flying Boats.
Walter flew both
land planes and boats to The Dalles, Oregon, and
land planes to Pendleton, mostly carrying
passengers.
In the fall of
1922, Walter went with Johnson Aeroplane and
Supply Company, located in Dayton, Ohio. He
worked with Al
Johnsonand his good friend from the
Curtiss flying school in San Diego, Jimmy Johnson. Al
and Jimmy were not related.
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Oregon-Washington-Idaho
Airplane Co.
February-May, 1920 |
Oregon-Washington-Idaho
Airplane Co.
February-May, 1920 |
Foster
Russell Aviation
September, 1920 |
La
Grande Aircraft Co.,April, 1920 |
La
Grande Aircraft Co., August, 1920 |
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La
Grande Aircraft Co.
Walter in His "Standard", April, 1920 |
La
Grande Aircraft Co.
Walter & Jenny No. 1, 1920 |
La
Grande Aircraft Co.
Walter in a Jenny, 1920 |
La
Grande Aircraft Co.
Walter & Family, La Grande, 1920 |
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Dayton
Wright Seaplane,
June, 1922 |
Johnson
Flying Service
Fall, 1922 |
Johnson
Airplane & Supply, 1922 |
Walter,
Al, & Jimmy
Johnson Airplane & Supply, 1922 |
The
Johnsons
Johnson Airplane & Supply, 1922 |
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Johnson
Airplane & Supply Co. 1922 |
Johnson
Flying Service
Coffee, Tea or Milk? 1923 |
Johnson
Airplane & Supply Co. 1922 |
Kenneth
Lane & Walter
September, 1922 |
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Walter,
Army, 1923 |
Paul
Dodd Culver (Jim) & Walter,
Dayton, 1924 |
Driggs-Johnson
Canary,
March, 1925 |
Johnson
Flying Service
1927 |
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#TOP
Gallery 6, Barnstorming, 1923-1925
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Lucky
Friday the 13th 1924
Walter was a mechanic with the U.S. Army Air
Service at Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. On
Friday, 13, 1924, he made an historic parachute
jump.
"It was a
German L.V.G. We'd given the 220 HP German
Benz engine an hour long ground test. The
RPM's were 1400. The weather was perfect for a
test flight, clear with a slight northwest
wind. I ran the engine until the water
temperature was 150 degrees. I put on an Irvin
Parachute I'd borrowed from McCook Field.
---I lost control and the plane whipped itself
into a steep left bank and would have gone
into a barrel roll if I hadn't immediately
given it full power. I knew I couldn't land. I
was only at 150 feet when I knew I had to
jump".
I'd never used a
parachute before, but I'd been told what to
do: jump clear of the plane, count three, and
pull the ring. I knew if I did it that way,
I'd be on the ground before it opened. So I
figured the only thing to do was to let go of
the stick, (the plane went into a 70 degree
bank and skid and with one movement, open my
seat belt, step up on the seat, and pull the
chute ring the same time I jumped.
Miraculously, I missed getting tangled in the
tail."
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International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Program of Events |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Navy-Curtiss |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Army Air Service |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Three Entries |
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International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Hartzell FC-1 |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Verville-Sperry Racer |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Navy Wright Racer |
International
Air Meet
St. Louis, MO, 1923
Pulitzer Trophy Race |
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Stout
Air Sedan
Detroit, 1923 |
"Maiden
Detroit"
Stout Metal Aeroplane Co.
Detroit, 1924 |
First
Ford-Stout Trimotor |
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German
LVG
June, 1924 |
German
LVG
June, 1924 |
German
LVG Crash,
June, 1924 |
Closeup
LVG Crash,
June, 1924 |
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After
the Crash,
June, 1924 |
The
Irvin Parachute
June, 1924 |
Curtiss-Navy
Racer, 1925 |
Navy
Curtiss R-6 |
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International
Air Races
Dayton, October, 1924
Schedule of Events |
International
Air Races
Dayton, October, 1924
Retrospective, 1954 |
International
Air Races
Dayton, October, 1924
First Place Winners |
International
Air Races
Dayton, October, 1924
Commercial Planes |
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#TOP
Gallery 7, First Diesel Flight,1927-1931
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In Detroit at
Packard, Walter became involved in a very
special Project. Captain Lionel M. Woolson, the
Chief Aeronautical Engineer and Dipl.Ing.,
Hermann I.A. Dorner, a diesel engine inventor
from Hanover, Germany, designed the Packard
diesel with the help of Packard engineers and
Dorner's assistant, Adolph Widmann. Walter
worked with Woolson and Marvin Steele, the
assistant engineer.
The historic first
flight of the Packard diesel engine took place
on September 19, 1928, at the Packard proving
grounds, Utica, Michigan. But the first
unofficial test was made the night before.
Walter was given the distinction of flying the
world's first diesel powered airplane flight.
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Crew
of Big Naval Plane
Visiting Miami
April 1927 |
Giant
Armored Bomber
Philadelphia
August 1927 |
Packard
Diesel
Model DR---980 of 1928 |
Lionel
Woolson &
Walter E. Lees
Packard Diesel Stinson
X7654, May, 1929 |
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Alvan
Macauley &
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh
Packard Diesel Stinson
X7654, May 1929 |
First
Cross-country
Packard Diesel Stinson
X7654, May, 1929 |
Walter
Lees & Bernarr Macfadden
June, 1929 |
Lindbergh
Inspects Diesel
August, 1929 |
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Will
Rogers & Bernarr McFadden
National Air Races, Cleveland
August, 1929 |
Diesel
Powered
Waco Taperwing X4N
November, 1929 |
Packard
Diesel Engine
November, 1929 |
Detroit
to Miami Flight
Packard Diesel Stinson
X7654, March, 1930 |
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Detroit
to Miami for $8.50, March, 1930 |
Capt.
Lionel Woolson
Designer of the Packard-Diesel
April, 1930 |
Packard-Diesel
powered
Buhl Air Sedan
October, 1930 |
Buhl
Aircraft Company, 1930 |
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National
Air Tour
November,1930 |
Nancy
Hopkins
National Air Tour,1930 |
Bleriot
110
Endurance Record
March, 1931 |
Bernard
80 G.R.
Endurance Record
March, 1931 |
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National
Air Tour, Edsel Ford Trophy
July, 1931 |
National
Air Tour
Happy Homecoming
July, 1931 |
Diesel
Powered
Waco Taperwing NC4N
August, 1931 |
Diesel
Powered
Verville, Air Coach
NC70W, 1939? |
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#TOP
Gallery 8, Endurance Flight, 1931
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Let's
Get Ready 1931
The Packard Motor Company gave Walter Lees and
Frederick A. Brossy permission to attempt to
break the non-refueling record of 67 hours, 13
minutes, held by two Frenchmen, Maddelena and
Creeorni.
The 225 HP Packard
Diesel engine that Captain L.M. Woolson and
Dipl.Ing. Hermann I.A. Dorner had designed was
placed in a specially built Bellanca. Woolson
had advocated the endurance flight before his
death and outlined many of the plans which were
carried out in the actual flight.
In spite of
elaborate planning, the first attempt failed.
55 Years Before Voyager 1931
The Packard Motor Company, a conservative,
safety-first company, was understanding about
the failure. They wired approval to try
another attempt.
In the second
attempt, on April 12th, The Packard-Diesel
Bellanca took off with a gross load of 6,666
pounds including 458 gallons of fuel oil
weighing seven pounds per gallon. The total
cost of the fuel was $45.80. The second
attempt failed due to bad weather.On the third
attempt, they successfully established a new
endurance record of 84 hours, 32 minutes.
Walter's dream to become a famous flyer had
more than come true. He had broken a World's
Record.
Click on Thumbnail to Enlarge Picture
& View Test
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Packard
Bellanca
"Pacemaker", 1931 |
Packard
Bellanca
"Pacemaker", 1931 |
Packard
Bellanca
"Pacemaker", 1931 |
The
Collier Trophy, 1931 |
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Diesel-Powered
Bellanca on Jacksonville Beach |
Walter
& Fred Checking the Fuel |
Walter
& Group Checking the Fuel |
Fred
Brossy Weighing The Fuel |
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Fuel
Oil Carried on Flight |
Supplies
Carried on the Flight |
Walter
E. Lees & Edward Macauley |
Belly
Tank for Bellanca, 1931 |
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Waiting
for Good Weather |
Packard
Advertisement |
Immediately
after Landing |
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#TOP
Gallery 9, Post Endurance Flight, 1931
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After the
Endurance Flight, Walter and Fred were feted at
many receptions. Their feat made front page news
in many of the newspapers. The Packard Motor
Company threw all of their resources into a
publicity campaign which extolled the virtues of
their new aircraft diesel engine. However, for
various reasons, the diesel engine project was
finally abandoned and Walter left Packard for
greener pastures.
After the flight,
the plane was returned to Bellanca, refitted
with a gasoline engine, and sold to Emperor
Haile Selassie to be featured at his coronation.
It crashed and burned on takeoff from Roosevelt
field on its way to Abyssinia.
Click on Thumbnails to Enlarge Picture
& View Text
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Five
Gallon Can Lodged in Strut |
Lees
& Brossy After the Flight |
Walter
Lees And His Family |
Record
Holding Pilots Bring Ship to Detroit |
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New
Flight Record, June 8, 1931 |
"Official"
Packard Photo |
Fred
Brossy & Frank Schulte |
Walter
& Fred, 1931 |
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Bellanca
782W, 1931
Col. Hubert Julian |
Col.
Hubert Julian |
Bellanca
782W, 1931
Col. Hubert Julian |
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#TOP
Gallery 10, EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION 1932 TO 1993
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These photos
present incidents in Walter's career which I
think are interesting and
informative.Conspicuous among them are six
photos related to the Early Birds of Aviation.
Much of the text and many of the photos on my
site are taken from the CHIRP, the journal of
the Early Birds.
THE EARLY BIRDS
Membership shall be limited to those who
piloted a glider or airplane, gas balloon or
airship prior to December 17, 1916, upon
evidence deemed sufficient by the Membership
Committee and approved by the Board of
Governors, except: Nationals of countries
other than the United States engaged in World
War I must have met the foregoing conditions
prior to August 4,1914.
THE FIRST EARLY BIRD MEETING
So frequently we
are asked: who attended the first EB meeting,
where was it held, and when? You might also like
to have this information, so here we are listing
below the time, place, attendance, and officers
on that first occasion.
The meeting was
held in Chicago on that famous date in
history---December 17, 1928---*the 25th
anniversary of the first Wright flight at
Kittyhawk. On hand and elected to membership
were: |
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*Ernie Jones
*Capt. Horace Wild
L. A. Vilas
*Richard H. Depew, Jr.
*Ivan J. Gates
*Col.
Chas. deF. Chandler |
Capt. J. F.
deVillard
*Anthony H. B. Fokker
Dr. H. W. Walden
Chas. Dickerson
Marjorie Stinson
P. G. B. Morris |
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Members elected to office were as
follows:
*P. G. B. Morris, President
Gen.
Benjamin Foulois, Vice
President
*Anthony H. G. Fokker, Vice President
Jean F. DeVillard, Vice President
Lt. Col. Holden
C. Richardson, Treasurer
*Ernest L. Jones, Secretary
Governors
*Richard H. Depew,
Jr.
Dr. Henry W.
Walden
Raffe Emerson
*Walter
Brookins
*Earle Ovington
The asterisks indicate those who have passed
away---a vivid example of how the ranks are
thinning.
From The Early Birds CHIRP, JULY, 1956,
Number 54
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Early
Birds Meeting
Detroit, 1932 |
EB's
President
William E. Scripps, 1934 |
Early
Birds Toast Curtiss in Detroit, 1935 |
Early
Birds, at Cleveland
October, 1939 |
Early
Birds at Fowlers in San Jose, 1939 |
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Early
Bird Meeting
Los Angeles, 1956 |
Early
Bird Meeting
Rockton, IL, 1969 |
Early
Bird's 57th Annual Reunion
Los Angeles, 1985 |
Early
Bird Plaque
September, 1993 |
#TOP
Gallery 10-1, Miscellaneous, 1931 TO 1941
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Captain
Woolson's Plaque
Summer, 1931 |
Capt.
Ben Reisweber, 1932 |
Gen.
Billy Mitchell
Wheel Memento
1932 |
Walter
Lees
Packard Hall of Precision
January, 1933 |
Ralph
de Palma
Packard Hall of Precision
January, 1933 |
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Air
Veteran Hails
Junior Birdmen, 1934 |
Correspondence
with WACO, 1934 |
Junior
Birdmen of America
September, 1935 |
Scintilla
Magneto Division, Bendix Corporation
1935 |
Caterpillar
Club Members
Early Birds,
1935 |
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#TOP
Gallery 11, War Years, 1940 TO 1946
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Walter was
recalled to active duty on November 20, 1940.
He served at various Naval stations including
Corpus Christi, Texas, Alameda, California and
the Phillipine Islands. He retired from the
U.S. Naval Reserve on June 28, 1948.
Included on the
page are four photos of George Hicks, who
married Walter's daughter Billie (Charlotte).
They met and married while Walter was in
Corpus Christi. George served in the South
Pacific. |
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Walt
Navy
Corpus Christi
January, 1941 |
Assembly
& Repair Shop
Corpus Christi
March, 1941 |
John
H. Towers
Corpus Christi
June, 1941 |
Flying
Boat
Alameda
July, 1943 |
Sangley
Point, Phillipine Islands
April, 1945 |
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Walter,
Navy, 1945 |
Damaged
Plane, Philippine Islands,1945 |
Camp,
Philippine Islands, 1945 |
Ships,
Unidentified, 1945 |
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NAS
Corpus Christi
March, 1946 |
Service
in Phillipines, WW II, 1944-1945 |
Church
of Immaculate Conception, Phillipines, 1945 |
Last
Flight, 1944 |
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Lt.
Comdr. George Hicks
WW II, 1945 |
George's
First Plane |
George
Solos in Travel Air, 1932 |
George
and his Crew
South Pacific, 1943 |
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#TOP
Gallery 12, POST WAR, 1947-1957
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After Walter
retired, he settled down on a small ranch in Turlock,
California. To keep
busy, he raised earthworms for the fishermen and
agriculturists. Because of this, he became known
as "Wormy Walt". Unfortunately, his hip
continued to get worse, probably as a result of
his parachute jump from the L.V.G. in 1924. He
died in 1957 as a result of complications
arising from his accident.
Included on this page are three photos which his
good friend Walter Bullock had sent to him.
Bullock built and flew two classic airplanes as
late as 1966.
Click Thumbnail to Enlarge Picture &
View Text
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Walter
Lees
Local Rancher
March, 1949 |
Lees
Commander of
State Guard Unit
September, 1950 |
Ralph
de Palma Visits
Walter Lees
June 1953 |
Friday
the 13th
Remembered, 1956 |
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Early
Bird Reunion
Birmingham, 1962 |
Bullock
Homebuilt |
Bullock
Flying His Bleriot, 1966 |
Bullock
Flying His
Beachey "Little Looper", 1966 |
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From his collection of photos, news
clippings and his journals
Many from the book
"Pioneer Pilot"
edited by his daughter
Jo
Lees Cooper
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Ralph & Jo Lees
Cooper |
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Walter E. Lees |
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Walter E. Lees,
Pioneer Pilot, soloed in 1912 and continued in
aviation until 1945. He flew approximately 12,000
hours and handled over 60 different types of
aircraft. In 1931, he set a non-refueling
endurance record in a Packard-Diesel powered
Bellanca which stood until 1986 |
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We, The Early
Birds of Aviation, Inc., in order to
encourage, promote and foster international
interest in aeronautics and astronautics, and to
preserve the history of all pioneers in aerospace,
and for the purpose of advancing and promulgating
all forms of human related flight do ordain,
establish and adopt this constitution.
From the preamble of the Constitution of The Early
Birds of Aviation, Inc.
In Walter's
collection of memorabilia I found some 25 issues
of the CHIRP, the official organ of the Early
Birds. The issues extend from June, 1936 through
July, 1995, with many missed copies in the
sequence. In spite of this, I found much
information, both photos and stories, which I used
in the building of my Pioneer Pilot website. Now I
am building a new website which features
information on all of the original members of the
Early Birds. In addition, I have entries for some
20 or more non-members, who were important in the
early days. I hope this will prove to be a
valuable online resource to the friends, relatives
and other interested researchers of the group. To
that end, I have already added a page for each of
the 598 Original Early Birds
of Aviation. So far I have
been able to add biographies, some very brief,
some extensive, for more than 450 of them. More
will be added as time and materials permit. If you
are interested in the subject, I invite you to
click on the logo or titles and visit the site,
still under construction. If you have any photos
or stories which you would like to share or
inquiries which I might help you to answer, feel
free to contact me.
Thank you, Ralph Cooper
(7-6-2003)
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Copyright
© June 18, 1997, Ralph Cooper
Revised -- June 4, 2006
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