Walter Herschel Beech
| Walter Herschel Beech | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 30, 1891 Pulaski, Tennessee |
| Died | November 29, 1950 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Aviator and co-founder of Beech Aircraft Company |
Walter Herschel Beech (January 30, 1891 – November 29, 1950) was an American pioneer aviator who co-founded Beech Aircraft Company.
He was born in Pulaski, Tennessee on January 30, 1891. Beech started flying in 1905, at age 14, when he built a glider of his own design. Then, after flying for the United States Army during World War I, he joined the Swallow Airplane Company as a test pilot. He later became general manager of the company. In 1924, he, Lloyd Stearman, and Clyde Cessna formed Travel Air Manufacturing Company. When the company merged with Curtiss-Wright, Beech became vice-president.
In 1932, he and his wife, Olive Ann Beech, co-founded Beech Aircraft Company. Their early Beechcraft planes won the Bendix Trophy. During World War II, he produced more than 7,400 military aircraft. The twin Beech AT-7/C-45 trained more than 90 percent of the U.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 in Wichita, Kansas.
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