Bullock Marks 25,000 Hours

            From the November 1954 issue of the company newsletter we learned that in September Capt. Walter R. Bullock became the first Northwest Airlines pilot to chalk up 25,000 flying hours. He accomplished this milestone while piloting Flight 1 from Tokyo to Manila. Although there is no clearing-house for such records, it is believed Bullock had more hours in the air than any other active pilot in the world. In addition to his 25,000 scheduled hours he has another 4,000 hours in his own planes.  

            Bullock, a hale and hearty granddad of 55 years, learned to fly at the old Glenn Curtiss flying school in Newport News, VA in 1916. At that time, he was the youngest licensed aviator in America. Bullock spent his first flying years as a barnstormer, being billed as “Bullock, the Boy Aviator” or “Bullock, the Daredevil.” During World War I, he flew with the air section of the Minnesota Motor Corps. In 1946, he finished ninth in the Bendix Air Race with a souped up P-38.  

            Bullock first joined Northwest Airways in 1927 and, after a brief period with Hanford Airlines, rejoined NWA in 1937. He is currently Tokyo based. He achieved national prominence through the construction, in 1948, of a replica of the plane in which he learned to fly, a 1910 model Curtiss pusher.  

                The History Centre adds, Bullock was forced into early retirement about five year later when the age 60 rule was imposed. At that time he had accumulated some 35,000 hours.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

1954 - A GREAT YEAR IN FINANCIAL HISTORY
(A Report from Northwest News of February, 1955)  

            Higher profit, increased production, lower costs and an all-out striving for subsidy free operation all reflected in Northwest Airlines’ year-end reports. Statistically speaking, one of the most impressive figures for the record-breaking year 1954 was the unofficial 44 percent boost in net operating income over 1953. Net operating income for ’54 was approximately $4,529,000, compared to $3,143,000 for the preceding year. Net profit after taxes last year was approximately $2,207,000 – up 13.5 percent from 1953’s $1,945,000.  

            The favorable production and cost results are shown by the fact that in 1954 Northwest produced 194,000,000 available ton-miles. The corresponding total for 1953 was 176,700,000. At the same time, expenses were held to $58,671,000 – a drop from $58,906,000 for 1953. Increased production was accomplished with fewer employees. On January 1, 1954, the airline had 5,420 employees. The personnel count had dropped to 4,900 by December 31, 1954.

            NWA TRAFFIC was up everywhere along the line. But nowhere was the increase as sensational as it was on the Honolulu run. Passenger and cargo revenue for the route was the highest since the operation began December 2, 1948. The number of passengers carried to KHNL was two and a half times more than during 1953. Passenger load factor went up 25 percent. In the face of this spectacular climb, the company added two additional weekly DC-6B flights to Honolulu last month, doubling the number of trips. And next June the airline will inaugurate Super Constellation service to Hawaii.