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landed in his Type BW after a leisurely, multi- stop, cross-county flight from California. The famous thespian was suf- fering from a bout with influenza but retained his cheery disposition. He was accompanied by George H. “Slim” Maves, who would be overseeing the care and preventive maintenance of the new Travel Air. As with Beery, Maves held a Transport License.
After arriving at the factory on East Central Avenue, Beery was given a warm welcome by Walter Beech and escorted on a tour of Travel Air’s extensive facilities. Next, he was introduced to the ladies in the business office including the manager, Olive Ann Mellor. He chatted with Olive Ann and the others before remembering with a chuckle that he had some unfinished business with Ms. Mellor – he still owed Travel Air the balance of $10,000 on his airplane. Grinning ear-to-ear, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a huge wad of greenbacks secured around the middle by a rubber band. He handed $10,000 in cash to Olive Ann, took his receipt stating, “Paid in full” and bid farewell to the ladies as he was whisked off to Walter’s office. The three girls had never seen $10,000 in cash. Olive Ann allowed each one of them to hold the wad in their hands for a few moments before placing it in the company safe for deposit. 3
That afternoon Walter, Beery and Maves inspected the Wasp-powered monoplane. It was accepted by Beery who expressed his enthusiasm about every detail of the airplane. Later that evening Wallace and Walter went to the Crown Uptown Theater to view a flying movie before retiring for the night. The next day Beery flew the ship with Pete Hill on a familiarization flight to learn how to best handle the Travel Air, and then took off with Maves for a two-hour flight.
Accompanied by Maves as a passenger, Beery flew the airplane back to Los Angeles, California, stopping along the way at Tucson, Arizona, on December 18. According to the Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register, on March 14, 1929, Beery landed again at Tucson with a load of five passengers on board the Travel Air, enroute from Los Angeles to El Paso, Texas. When Travel Air finally received an Approved Type Certificate for the A-6000-A in March 1929, it stipulated that existing airplanes be reworked with a larger empennage. Soon after Beery’s flight to El Paso, the airplane was flown to Wichita for the required modifications that were completed on March 22.
Sadly, the Travel Air was destroyed in a crash on March 25, 1930, at Alhambra, California. Piloted by Maves, who was accompanied by his wife Cynthia and friend Lynn Hayes, eyewitness reports stated that the airplane “nose-dived” into the ground during final approach for
22 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
landing. The occupants were burned beyond recognition and the monoplane was destroyed. When asked about the accident, Beery told the press that Maves was never permitted to fly the airplane and Beery was unaware that he had used the airplane for a personal flight.
According to the FAA Aircraft Registry, a license for Travel Air Type A-6000-A, serial number 816, registered NC9015, was cancelled on April 25, 1930, bringing to an inglorious end the short, two-year career of Wallace Beery’s Hollywood Travel Air. KA
NOTES:
1. Beery’s monoplane was the most expensive Travel Air built by the company. The second most expensive monoplane was “Smiling Thru” – a Type 6000B custom-built for the Automatic Washer Company (later Maytag). It was lavishly equipped as a flying office for company president H.L. Ogg. With the office equipment removed from the cabin, the airplane could carry three washing machines for demonstrations, powered by a special 12-volt auxiliary power supply.
2. Smith, Herschel; “A History of Aircraft Piston Engines;” Sunflower University Press, Manhattan, Kansas, 1986.
After World War One engine development in the United States centered primarily on water-cooled, upright 12-cylinder designs such as the famous “Liberty” powerplant. It was the work of Charles L. Lawrence that led to development of the first practical static-air-cooled radial engine manufactured in America. In 1921 he built the J-1: a nine-cylinder radial that produced 180 horsepower. It was followed by the J-2 of 200 horsepower that became the foundation for development of the famous J-4 and J-5 engines that powered many aircraft in the late 1920s, including Travel Air biplanes and propelled Charles A. Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris.
3. In 1981 the scene was recounted to the author by Madge Doyle who was working in the office that memorable day. She remembered Beery’s deep, gruff voice and his pleasing demeanor, but it was holding and smelling that wad of $10,000 that left the most lasting impression on her.
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more than 80 years.
Olive Ann Mellor (right) managed Travel Air’s main office
in the factory on East Central Avenue. This photograph
was taken before Wallace Beery’s visit, but these ladies were the ones allowed to hold $10,000 cash in their hands before Ms. Mellor locked the money inside a company safe. (TEXTRON AVIATION)
MAY 2018