Description
This collection contains approximately 5 linear inches of papers covering Walter J. Addems long, successful life of flying
and achievements. He began flying at a very early age and was a member of the famous Early Birds. He was integral in the founding
and early days of United Airlines. The collection contains invoices, logbooks, chronology of his accomplishments, news articles,
correspondence, route maps, NAT newsletters, schedules, licenses, photographs, technical notes, and magazine articles. The
collection primarily covers the years 1914-1982.
Background
Walter J. Addems (1899-November 21, 1997) grew up in Illinois and made his first flight in a glider he built himself when
he was only 16 years old, using the plans found in an issue of Aviation Week magazine. The flight was short lived, but he
flew enough to qualify for membership in the exclusive Early Birds club. In 1920, he moved with his family to Iowa for a time
and briefly in the Army. He was soon back around local airstrips and continued refining his aviation skills. Soon, Addems
was participating in airshows and barnstorming, by then he built a 50 HP plane, but used a Curtiss JN-4 or “Jenny” for his
exhibitions, also working for the Harper Oil Company in Chicago, Illinois. During those years, he bought, built, and flew
numerous aircraft that distinguished the era. In 1925, the same year he married Genevieve Mongeau, he joined Charles Dickenson
to fly air mail on the Chicago-Minneapolis. Addems ceased barnstorming and began flying mail from Chicago to Milwakee, eventually
joining the National Air Transport (NAT) flying mail from Chicago to Cleveland. Addems became so proficient as a self-taught
pilot, he began to train other fliers. In fact, he was granted one of the first pilot instrument ratings, and NAT modified
a Douglas mail plane so Addems could instruct pilots in instrument flying by 1931. After NAT, BAT, PAT, and Varney became
United Airlines, Walter Addems stayed on, ultimately becoming Director of Flight Operations where he had a significant role
in flying and mapping each new route, testing new planes for the fleet from the DC-3 to the Boeing 377, and developing airline
operating procedures. However, in spite of support from many of the airline’s pilots, he lost this job after the airline saw
a series of unfortunate crashes in the 1950s. He resumed flying on government contract runs and eventually became United’s
chief pilot on the San Francisco-Hawaii route. Then, in 1959 upon reaching the retirement age of 60, Mr. Addems retired in
Atherton, California, where he began building planes again. In 1962 he completed a replica of a Nieuport XI, an aircraft used
in WWI by the Lafayette Escadrille, to fly in air shows. He flew the Nieuport XI until the age of 83, spending 67 years of
his life flying. His last flight was delivering the aircraft to the San Diego Air and Space Museum. He passed away at the
age of 98 in Palo Alto, California.