Page 27 - Volume 15 Number 12

During 1928-1929, the Travel Air Company’s Walter H. Beech had earned national acclaim for corporate leadership and technical innovation that further increased the reputation of Wichita, Kansas, as the “Air Capital of the World.”
by Edward H. Phillips
Takes Control (Part Two)
By 1928 it had become obvious to Walter Beech that the company he led was in need of a new product – one that was aimed directly at the businessman who embraced aviation as a viable means of transportation. The Type 5000 had proven itself with the regional carrier National Air Transport on its routes in the Midwestern United States, and airlines were flying large and powerful Ford- and Fokker-built monoplanes with enclosed cabins.
The aviation-minded businessman represented a new market for America’s airframe manufacturers. To find out if developing a new Travel Air tailored specifically to meet the needs of busy executives would be worthwhile, Beech and sales manager O.G. Harned conducted a detailed survey of hundreds of prospects. The results clearly indicated a preference for enclosed cabins, with the airplane serving as a “flying office” where work could be accomplished in flight. Walter already had chief engineer Horace Weihmiller and his staff working on a preliminary design powered by the reliable Wright J-5 static, air-cooled radial engine. Five months later, a
DECEMBER 2021
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 25