Master Mechanic, B-24 Crew Chief

Wallace D. ("Dip") Davis, age 86 of Marengo, Illinois, died on January, 8, 2010. Born on September 5, 1923 in Manchester, Iowa he was the son of D. Dale Davis and Cora (Wallace) Davis. A graduate of Manchester High School, Davis enlisted in the Army Air Corp and served during WWII as a Crew Chief on a B-24 and in Aviation Education. In 1942 he married his high school sweetheart Kathryn ("Kitty") Strathman. They were married for 55 years prior to Kitty's death in 1997. He was also preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Charlotte Moran of Columbus, Nebraska. He is survived by his sister Lora Finch of Costa Mesa California. Davis has ten surviving children.

 
B 24 File Photo

Davis was an aviation legend. In 1994 the Federal Aviation Administration honored Davis with the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. He was inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002. Known in the Aviation community as the "Bird Doctor", Davis was a local authority on fabric aircraft recovering and many aspects of repair and restoration. At the time of his death he was in charge of restoration  at the Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum. He was a Docent for the museum and worked closely with the Youth Exploring Aviation mentoring area teenagers. Davis was  a long time member in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and actively involved in EAA publications and training.

Davis had an extensive career in General Aviation. From 1953 until 1962 he was Manager of Aircraft Maintenance for Fox Valley Aviation at DuPage County Airport.  In 1962, he was recruited to the position of Manager of Aircraft Maintenance at Galt Flying Service in Wonderlake, IL. Galt became the Midwest mecca for Bonanza owners through Dip's leadership. In 1968 he was named Director of Maintenance and Restoration (Warbirds) with William Ross Enterprise Inc.  He led the restoration of a Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" (now on display at the aviation museum in Galvaston Texas) and restored Actor/Pilot Cliff Robertson's Supermarine Spitfire.

Davis continued to serve as Director of Maintenance for DuPage based Corporate Flight Departments and an Aircraft Salvage Facility.  Most recently he was director of Technical Operations, Superflite Division of Cooper Aviation Supply (now AAR).

FMI: www.ilavhalloffame.org/