Page 27 - Volume 10 Number 9

A young Truman Wadlow poses with the Travel Air Type A-4000 biplane he ferried in the summer of 1928 from the factory in Wichita to the company dealer in Los Angeles. The aerial trek took nearly a week, but was uneventful. The airplane was powered by an Axelson radial engine rated at 150 horsepower. (EDWARD H. PHILLIPS COLLECTION)
so much for seriously damaging an expensive airplane, but for exhibiting gross irresponsibility by leaving the crash scene. Truman was relieved to learn that his passenger would recover from minor injuries, but was disappointed to learn that he was banned from further flying until he received remedial training in avoiding stalls and recovering from spins. As for the Model A, it was quickly hauled back to the factory, repaired and was soon flying again at the airfield.
In addition, Walter pointed out that Wadlow’s accident not only damaged an airplane and made the fledgling company a target for a lawsuit it could ill afford, but the repairs to the Model A put a big dent in Travel Air’s bank account. Fortunately, no charges were filed, but Truman was “grounded” until further notice and was made to pay for his error by assisting workers in the final assembly, rigging and testing of production airplanes. Eventually, Mr. Beech assured Wadlow that all was forgiven and allowed him to resume flying with Clark. Truman never “spun in” again. During an interview in 1982, Truman told the author that he never forgot Beech’s unexpected benevolence toward him. Perhaps Walter remembered that in 1921 he had destroyed a Swallow soon after joining E.M. Laird’s airplane company. As Laird recalled during an interview with the author in 1982, Beech was “a pilot of limited experience” and the crash nearly bankrupted the business, but he forgave Walter and helped him grow into a competent aviator whose flying and sales skills eventually proved invaluable to the success of the firm.
During the next three years, as Truman gained both sales and flying experience, Beech gradually gave him increasing responsibility as an assistant test pilot to Clarence Clark as well as assigning him to ferry new airplanes to Travel Air dealers and distributors from coast-to-coast. In a further demonstration of his faith in Truman’s abilities, in 1927 Walter placed him in charge
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of a company dealership located at the airport near St. Joseph, Missouri. During his time there, Truman learned valuable lessons in demonstrating and selling airplanes. In addition, he performed routine service and maintenance work on various types of airplanes
By 1930, Truman had gained valuable flying experience and was deemed sufficiently competent by Mr. Beech to act as a secondary test pilot at the factory, assisting chief pilot Clarence Clark. Truman also ferried Travel Air ships to dealers and distributors from cost-to-coast from 1928- 1930. (EDWARD H. PHILLIPS COLLECTION)
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