Word: beech
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...Walter Beech is only half of Beech Aircraft. As secretary-treasurer, Olive Ann works 10-12 hours daily. When expansion plans were afoot last year, she was in a Wichita hospital having her second baby. But she had a direct hospital-plant telephone and the directors met at her bedside. Later she and two associates went to Washington, got Emil Schram to okay a $13,540,508 RFC revolving credit...
...Beech's secretary then was Olive Ann Mellor, a smart girl who urged him to sell out at the top of the boom to Curtiss-Wright. He did, became a Curtiss-Wright vice president. But Beech is no chairwarmer, unless the chair is a pilot's seat (he has 15,000 solo hours). So first he married Olive Ann, then he quit Curtiss to organize Beech Aircraft in 1932. His first break came when he startled the industry with his "reverse stagger" biplane (lower wing ahead of upper). Called unairworthy at the time, Beech biplanes are still...
When the defense boom started Beech had sold fewer than 300 airplanes. He was long on reputation, short on orders and cash. But he had three assets: 1) energy, 2) a smooth tongue, 3) a twin-engined commercial transport readily convertible into a bomber trainer. After a Beech sales talk, the Army started signing bomber trainer orders. Now Beech has an $85,000,000 backlog...
...this, $35,000,000 is for a plane unique in U.S. aviation history-the all-plywood bomber trainer AT-10. The AT-10 uses very little scarce aluminum or steel and can be turned out much faster than metal craft. Almost ready for full-scale production, Beech has subcontracted 30-40% of his plywood ship to companies like American Seating Co. (school and theater seats), Reed Roller Bit Co. (oil-well drills), Kansas City woodworking outfits...
This week the Beeches are proud. Their last fiscal year was good but this one will be better. October and November sales alone almost equalled all those made last year; by next September sales will cross $75,000,000. Despite high taxes, profits are zooming too. But neither Walter nor Olive Ann considers Beech Aircraft a war baby. All of its models could be converted into peacetime ships tomorrow...