WALTER BULLOCK 1899-1986

Early Bird Meeting, 1976

	Walter Bullock Flying His Blériot

On the last night of the Early Birds Reunion in Rockton, IL, we were privileged to see moving pictures, accompanied by a verbal description, of flights made by Walter Bullock in the two antique airplanes built by him. The Blériot, was built in 1966-67. It was as correct a reproduction as possible with the information available, except that it was powered by a 65 HP Lycoming engine. Bullock said, "It flew very well and I performed at several air shows with it in 1967. It now reposes in our local Aircraft Museum. This from the EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION "CHIRP", January 1970, Number 76

 

WALTER BULLOCK'S HOMEBUILT Beachey "Little Looper", 1966      On the last night of the Early Birds Reunion in Rockton, IL, we were privileged to see moving pictures, accompanied by a verbal description, of flights made by Walter Bullock in the two antique airplanes built by him.      To read the whole story and to see the two photographs of the planes in flight, click on the title above.

 

Captain Bullock was one of the first pilots to join the Northwest Airways, the forerunner of Minnesotas giant Northwest Airlines. He commanded every aircraft the airline operated from 1927 to 1960, from single engine fabric covered airmail biplanes to the ocean spanning four-engined airliners. From the film Tribute to Capt. Walter Bullock "Pioneer Minnesota Airman"

SELECTION FROM WALTER LEE'S LOURNAL - 1943      I finally took off for the Pacific on one of Pan Ams China Clippers. I transferred to a Pan Am Navy PB2Y at Honolulu and flew to Espiritu Santos.      There I met an old friend, "Hoss"Bullock (Marine Major) pilot, who was flying north in a DC 3 or C 47 next day and asked me to ride with him. We landed at Guadalcanal and I reported in. I found that CASU 9's skipper had recovered from a sickness, so I was assigned to CASU 19 at Sega? Point. Bullock flew me there and went on to Munda.

 

TRIBUTE TO CAPT. WALTER BULLOCK - 1987 "Pioneer Minnesota Airman" Walter R. Bullock was born at Buffalo, New York, August 5th, 1899 where he attended grade school. He left Buffalo about 1908 and went with his family to Texas and then to Minneapolis, Minnesota, arriving there in the fall of 1911.      He enrolled for flight instruction at the Curtiss Flying School at Newport News, Virginia in the fall of 1916. Several well-known instructors were employed there, including Victor Carlstrom, Bert Acosta, Stewart Cogswell, Victor Vernon and Walter Lees.      Bullock flew tests for pilot license on November 21st, 1916 using a 90 H.P. OX-powered Jennie school plane, and obtained his F.A.I. aviator certificate No. 630, dated November 29th. This from the EARLY BIRDS OF AVIATION "CHIRP", March, 1987

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE via email from Jim Murray, 8-28-10 Dear Mr. Cooper, My encounters with Walter Bullock were in the Northwest Airlines dispatch office at the MSP airport from 1951. I had been discharged from the air force the preceding August, and was hired in October that year. I resigned in 1966. As a clerk, one of my duties was to call flight crews on flights leaving before nine a.m. and checking them in after their arrival. I remember Mr. Bullock as a larger-than-life presence and somewhat gruff. He towered over the other pilots in seniority, fame and experience, and he had a lot of competition. It was in the days when it was a small airline. Those days are gone. Jim Murray Saint Paul

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for Walter Bullock using Google, (9-8-03), you will find 45 links. Among the most interesting are the following.

MINNESOTA AVIATION HALL OF FAME      Walter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988. On his page you will find a nice little biography and a very interesting photograph. While on the site, you might want to check some of the 102 other enshrinees. The easiest way to access the homepage of the Hall of Fame is to click on: Hall of Fame

 

AVIATION HISTORY MUSEUM Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics      This is quite a remakable and sophisticated website. It offers a menu which includes Aviation Breakthroughs, Aviation Pioneers, Inventions, Activities, Contact and Links. You can spend many hours on this site to good advantage. You can access it by clicking on the title above.

WALTER BULLOCK ON THE AEROFILES WEBSITE You will find a brief reference to Walter on the AEROFILES website. You can access that reference by clicking on: Walter Bullock and using the "Find" function on "Bullock"

 

AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL      Walter was involved in the formation of the Air Line Pilots Association in 1930. He was fired for his union organizing activities. His part in the story is no longer available. You can access the site if you are interested in their current activities by clicking on the title above.

 

EARLY BIRD MEETING, WISCONSIN, 1969 You will find the story of the meeting by clicking on: Walter Bullock

 

Walter Bullock died in 1986 From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of Members January 1, 1993   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this Early Bird, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back