Page 29 - February 2015 Volume 9, Number 2

did have his share of trouble. He recalled one test flight when the OX-5 sputtered and stopped less than a minute after takeoff. There was no place to land except straight ahead in a small field surrounded by trees and hedgerows. Monty plunked the biplane down on the sod with a heavy thud and rolled to a stop. Not a scratch!
Fellow pilot Truman Wadlow, still in his late teens and with the ink still wet on his pilot’s license, made a forced landing in a Type 2000 after the Curtiss engine quit cold. He managed to glide into a nearby field south of the factory without damaging the ship or injuring himself. Fortunately, another pilot saw his plight and after making a low pass to assess the situation, flew back to the airport and notified company employees. In such cases, a truck was usually dispatched with a mechanic and spare parts to repair the engine.
During the summer of 1929, Walter Beech was becoming increasingly concerned about the sluggish state of the new airplane market. Sales were decreasing
World War I aviator Ray W. Brown had been in the aviation business for 10 years when Walter Beech hired him in 1928 to assist Owen G. Harned. The two men canvassed America from coast to coast flying new Travel Air airplanes to dealers and distributors, chiefly to ensure that agents were maintaining operations according to their agreements with the company. Brown resigned from Travel Air in November 1929. He was killed in action during World War II. (TEXTRON AVIATION)
FEBRUARY 2015
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 27