Walter Edwin Lees
Encyclopedia
Walter Edwin Lees was an early American
aviator
who set a flight endurance record
in 1931.
, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. He made his first solo flight on November 14, 1912, near St. Louis, Missouri
. He joined the Army Air Service
as a civilian flying instructor in 1917, and married Loa Lloyd. He worked as a pilot, test pilot, instructor, and barnstormer. He also worked as a mechanic in the Army Air Service at Wright Field
between 1919 and 1920. In the mid-1920s he test flew aircraft for the Stout Engineering Company
.He and Frederick Brossy
made a world's non-refueling duration record at Jacksonville Beach, Florida
, in 1931 with a flight time of 84 hours and 32 minutes in a Bellanca J2 Diesel. His military service included five years as a pilot in the Air Force Reserve Command
, and 20 years as pilot in the United States Navy Reserve
, and 6 years active duty with the Navy
from 1940 to 1946. He retired from the Navy in 1948 with the rank of Commander. He was active in aviation for over 35 years and flew approximately 12,000 hours, in over 60 different types of planes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who set a flight endurance record
Flight endurance record
The flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing. It can be a solo event, or multiple people can take turns piloting the aircraft, as long as all pilots remain in the aircraft. The limit initially was the amount of fuel...
in 1931.
Biography
He was born in 1887 in Janesville, WisconsinJanesville, Wisconsin
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. He made his first solo flight on November 14, 1912, near St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He joined the Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
as a civilian flying instructor in 1917, and married Loa Lloyd. He worked as a pilot, test pilot, instructor, and barnstormer. He also worked as a mechanic in the Army Air Service at Wright Field
Wright Field
Wright Field was an airfield of the United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces near Riverside, Ohio. From 1927 to 1947 it was the research and development center for the Air Corps, and during World War II a flight test center....
between 1919 and 1920. In the mid-1920s he test flew aircraft for the Stout Engineering Company
Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company
Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by William Bushnell Stout. The company was purchased by Ford Motor Company in 1924 and produced the Ford Trimotor. In the height of the Depression, Ford closed the aircraft design and production...
.He and Frederick Brossy
Frederick Brossy
Frederic A. Brossy set the flight endurance record with Walter Edwin Lees on May 28, 1931.-Biography:He was born in 1902 to Francis E. Brossy. In 1931 he was an ensign in reserve squadron VN-9RD9 at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base in Grosse Ile, Michigan. Walter Edwin Lees was a lieutenant in the...
made a world's non-refueling duration record at Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Jacksonville Beach is a city on the Atlantic coast of Duval County, Florida, east of Jacksonville. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches community, together with Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach...
, in 1931 with a flight time of 84 hours and 32 minutes in a Bellanca J2 Diesel. His military service included five years as a pilot in the Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
, and 20 years as pilot in the United States Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
, and 6 years active duty with the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
from 1940 to 1946. He retired from the Navy in 1948 with the rank of Commander. He was active in aviation for over 35 years and flew approximately 12,000 hours, in over 60 different types of planes.