Alton Walker and his wife landed as passengers with Register pilot Robert L. Myrick. Myrick did not enter an arrival or departure date in the Register, but I estimate they landed sometime during late February-March, 1936. They were based at Kansas City, MO.

Their landing would be unremarkable save for their airplane and their intentions. They were traveling in the Fairchild FC-2W2 NC8006. If you direct your browser to the airplane's link, you'll learn that it sold in August, 1928 to Richard Byrd. With Byrd it was to be used for Antarctic exploration, and it was modified for same with skis and extended range fuel tanks. It was named “Stars & Stripes” when Byrd owned it. This airplane did fly on the Antarctic continent and it was purchased afterwards by Walker on August 8, 1935. Walker and his wife owned another Register airplane, the Ford NC3041 (see below).

Walker and his wife planned a two-year, round-the-world flight in NC8006. The article below from the Paris (TX) News of August 6, 1935 shares their early thoughts about their "second honeymoon," and presents a darkened image of them.

Paris (TX) News, August 6, 1935 (Source: Woodling)

Indeed, they began their tour in October, 1935. The New York Times of September 29, 1935 reported on the tour and stated about the airplane that, "... its original motor will power it." Below, from the Hagerstown (MD) Daily Mail of October 2, 1935 we learn of the tour's beginning. Note that this article cites pilot Myrick, as well as another pilot, Ralph Smith, who is not a Register pilot. Smith either dropped out of the tour before the airplane reached Tucson, or he wasn't listed among the passengers. Before they left the area, they sold 10-mile scenic flights in the airplane for $1 each, as cited in the advertisement in the left sidebar. A separate article in the October 3rd Frederick Post cited flights made in Winchester, VA, Washington, DC and Hagerstown, MD, as well as Frederick, MD.

Hagerstown (MD) Daily Mail of October 2, 1935 (Source: Woodling)

Their itinerary was aggressive, but not impossible for the time. Many pilots had circumnavigated the globe before 1935, including Register pilots Friedrich Karl Freiherr Baron von Koenig-Warthausen, Wiley Post, Lowell Smith and Erik Nelson, among others.

As they continued across the country, the news media tracked their progress. Below, a short article from the Galveston (TX) Daily News for December 5, 1935. They continued offering rides at their stops. This article suggests a tri-motor Stinson was accompanying the "Stars & Stripes." Does anyone KNOW about that airplane?

Galveston (TX) Daily News, December 5, 1935 (Source: Woodling)

Interestingly, on the same page as the article above, there appeared an advertisement for the new Chevrolet sedan. It cost $495.

Below, a photo of the airplane and another single-column article regarding their tour from the Nevada (Reno) State Journal, May 25, 1936.

Nevada (Reno) State Journal, May 25, 1936 (Source: Woodling)

Nevada (Reno) State Journal, May 25, 1936 (Source: Woodling)

The January 23, 1936 issue of the Abilene (TX) Daily Reporter continued to track the tour. It presented a photograph of NC8006 on the ground in Antarctica, as well as a brief article that cited a Dan Covington as co-pilot. Covington is not a Register pilot or passenger.

Walker was president of Western Airplane Distributors in Kansas City. His "second honeymoon" could also be viewed as an enrolling promotional tour for his business interests. Another article from the Abilene (TX) Morning News of January 25, 1936 suggests this. He arrived at Abilene on Thursday the 23rd ahead of schedule and immediately announced the availability of scenic flights over the weekend.

Before he took up flying, Walker represented the (American) Hereford Journal, a magazine published in Kansas City and dedicated to buying, caring for, breeding, and raising Hereford cattle. It is still in publication, although under a different name.

The magazine’s origin was in 1910, when Hayes Walker Sr., Alton's father, founded it. The magazine was purchased by the American Hereford Association in 1961 and became the official Hereford breed publication. The 1995 merger of Polled Hereford World and American Hereford Journal resulted in the current name: Hereford World.

But I digress. With the coming of the Great Depression, Walker entered the airplane business and achieved success supplying inexpensive scenic tours. According to the Morning News article, during 1935, for example, his company carried 44,000 passengers without accident on local site-seeing flights. He used his Ford for that work. And he spent the summer of 1935 in Alaska looking over commercial possibilities in the far north.

Pilot Myrick gave a family tour. Below, from the Clovis Evening News-Journal of February 17, 1936, Myrick hosts his parents for a flight to Lubbock, TX. The origin of the flight is not clear.

Clovis (NM) Evening News-Journal, February 17, 1936 (Source: Woodling)

Mr. Woodling (cited, right sidebar) perfomed due diligence in his search for information regarding the Walkers and their tour. He states, "The last news article I could find was in May 1936 [above, left], so I do not think the airplane completed the projected 2-year round-the-world flight." Does anyone KNOW more about the Walkers, their family and their world tour?

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 02/05/13 REVISED: