Walter Beech demonstrated both a love for, and an innate skill and understanding of aviation from a very early age. For example, in 1905, at the age of 14, he built and flew his first aircraft, a glider of his own design. This was followed by a stint in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War I. After the war, he spent several years barnstorming throughout the Midwest. In 1921, he accepted a job with the Swallow Airplane Corporation as a test pilot and later became the general manager. The Swallow TP was the company’s primary aircraft model. It was a two-place, a metal-framed, fabric-covered biplane used primarily for flight training.

In 1924, Beech, along with Lloyd Stearman and Clyde Cessna, created the Travel Air Company. In 1929, while at Travel Air, Beech designed the Travel Air cabin plane that would meet National Air Transport specifications for a passenger plane. It soon became the standard for airmail transportation. Shortly thereafter, Travel Air merged with Curtis Wright. Beech became the vice president, and later, the president of the new company. His executive duties kept busy traveling and away from the production plant which is where he really wanted to be.