Ormer Locklear

Ormer Locklear
Aerialist actor Ormer Locklear
Born	Ormer Leslie Locklear (1891-10-28)October 28, 1891 Greenville, Texas, U.S.
Died	August 2, 1920(1920-08-02) (aged 28) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Airplane crash
Resting place	Greenwood Cemetery
Spouse(s)	Ruby Graves (m. 1915–20)

Ormer Leslie "Lock" Locklear (October 28, 1891 – August 2, 1920) was an American daredevil stunt pilot and film actor during and immediately after World War I.

Born in Greenville, Texas, Locklear was raised in Fort Worth. In 1911, Locklear met Calbraith Perry Rodgers when he landed his plane in Fort Worth to unclog a fuel line. After meeting Rodgers, Locklear became fascinated with aviation and airplanes. Shortly thereafter, Locklear and his brother constructed their own glider.

Upon completing his education, Locklear went to work as a carpenter.

In October 1917, Locklear joined the U.S. Army Air Service. He trained in Austin, at Camp Dick and Barron Field, becoming a flying instructor. Locklear was an exponent of wing walking to make aircraft repairs in flight.

A Second lieutenant at the end of the World War I, Locklear had been assigned to military recruitment when he saw a barnstorming show and realized his own usual flying exploits were far more impressive. After briefly reenlisting, Locklear left the Army in 1919, along with two military colleagues, Milton "Skeets" Elliott and Shirley Short. With manager and promoter William Pickens, they soon obtained aircraft and formed the "Locklear Flying Circus".

Pickens had a great deal of experience promoting barnstormers, with Locklear being his greatest success. Both men became wealthy and lived in high style. His trademark stunt of jumping from one aircraft to another led Locklear to perfect a transfer from a car, and then the "Dance of Death," in which two pilots in two aircraft, would switch places in midair.

The Locklear Flying Circus performed throughout the United States. When they came to the attention of Hollywood, Pickens arranged for Locklear to appear as a stunt man in film work. This opened the way to a movie career in California for Locklear, now considered the foremost "aviation stunt man in the world". Carl Laemmle, head of Universal Pictures, agreed to purchase all of Locklear's future air show dates in July 1919 in order to have him on contract for a proposed two-film series. Locklear was signed to star in The Great Air Robbery, a film depicting pilots flying air mail.