The Legend of Les Mauldin - Aviation Pioneer

by Javier R. Garcia 

Brownsville, Texas isn’t always a place where legends are born but rather, made.  While we like to look back at the historic land grant families and early settlers who developed Brownsville’s commerce, education and infrastructure, Brownsville has been home to several individuals who truly made an impact at the time of which today there are little to no traces left but maybe a small strip of road with a name most people do not recognize.  With this and a series of articles to follow, we will recall the life Les Mauldin, aviation pioneer, who came to live in Brownsville in 1929 and helped change the course of our history.

1975-76 photo of Les Mauldin in front of sign named after him next to the airport.  A much larger road to the airport is named after Billy Mitchell who is considered father of the United States Airforce.  

“Mr Aviation of the Rio Grande Valley”, as he became to be known, was much more than that.  Few people can remember Les Mauldin, owner of a flying school and landing field north of old Brownsville at one time.  But stories about him make him a legend.  Some of these story-tellers were sons of farmers who needed crop dusting and required Mauldin’s services.   Many airplane engine mechanics or aviation pilots were trained by Mauldin in schools opened by him in Fulton, Missouri or Brownsville, Texas or where he began the course of his career with the United States Army at Kelly Air field in San Antonio, Texas.

What remains of Les Mauldin’s legend are a few scant memories and nearly a centuries’ worth of photos and letters along with newspaper clippings saved by his family to tell a nearly complete history of the man.  We can thank his daughter Junita and grandson Craig Ginn for the stories we’ll uncover using vintage photos, digital newspaper research, scrapbook clippings and homespun stories as told by his daughter Junita Mauldin, who was an only child to Les and his wife Etelka Eva Linn-Mauldin.  Junie, as she is called, resides in Brownsville, Texas. 

Les Mauldin, who has a small strip of road named after him by the Brownsville Municipal Airport,  was born in San Saba, Texas in 1898.  He is best remembered as having operated Mauldin Aircraft Inc. landing field (which was north of Brownsville before the city absorbed land beyond earlier limits) and for having been the first manager of the Brownsville Airport, which was his reason for relocating here from San Antonio Texas in 1927.  While Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earnhardt are touted as having been historic aviators to have graced our historic city with their presence, Brownsville’s ace aviator escaped much more danger in his lifetime and endured his share of tragedy without all the media fanfare.   

Les Mauldin wearing a shirt and tie with hat in left hand takes a serious look at the camera as does the rest of his family in Temple, Texas.  Two his right is his brother Douglas who would later come to live in Weslaco and their father with hand on wagon wheel with two sisters and mother.  A man at the far right is not identified

There is very little to tell about his early life in San Saba until we look at 1916 photo of the Mauldin family.  From it we can assume his father traveled about selling a line of over 100 Rawleigh products from his two-horse drawn wagon equipped with boxed-storage units with letters indicated Rawleigh’s Products as “the largest line sold from wagons.”  

He had acquired six years experience working on automotive engines prior to joining the civil service.  This skill made him valuable to the cause of World War I because he had become a flight and aircraft mechanic instructor for the United States Army at Kelly Field beginning in 1917.  It was there from the famous military flight training base that he made several long lasting friendships, including one with Y.T. “Buck” Taylor who taught him how to fly.

Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas where Les Mauldin and Charles Lindbergh learned to fly.  Photo from Kelly Heritage webpage 1917-1941 era -  kellyheritage.org

1919 Waco Texas newspaper clipp from Mauldin scrapbook:  This was the origin of custom Model-T hot rodders.  The venture was short-lived for Mauldin and Nuckols

When the war was over he went to live in Waco, Texas where he entered into the business partnership of Mauldin-Nuckols Motor Co. which manufactured (modified) custom racing bodies which fit directly on a Ford chassis.  In addition to his one-year experience as an instructor at Kelly Field specializing in airplane motors, his  experience in the design and assembly of automotive engines proved useful.  In another ad his background information was revised  to state that Mauldin had “eight years’ experience in aeroplane assembling and designing.”  

Their ad shows a speedster of the time which appears to be a modified 1916 Ford Coupelet or 1917 Runabout.  Les and his partner Clyde R. Nuckols could convert a preowned Ford into a racer at minimal cost.  The speedster could be accessorized with latest gear which might include “disc wheels, racing gears, large steering wheels, racing carburetors, etc.” It is likely that these two met during the war or simply shared and interest in sheet metal and automotive mechanics innovations. 

In an unrelated story, but one which might interest the Brownsville reader, happened in Lawton, Oklahoma after Lieutenant Charles W. Stell of Brownsville, Texas was killed instantly after “his airplane fell from a low altitude” while performing for a flying circus there in 1919.  Les Mauldin would soon become witness to several airplane crashes after joining a stunt flying demonstration team.

After WWI the army had a surplus of planes they no longer needed so they sold them off at a small fraction of what they originally cost.  For as low as $250 a plane could be bought and the flyer could maintain a sustenance by flying from one small Midwestern town to another.  The air tramp or “barnstormer” as he was known professionally, could size-up a town by flying around it to see if folks expressed interest in the flying machine while looking for a landing field close enough to town so prospective passengers wouldn’t have far to get a closer look at the plane, which was a marvel for most people to see back then.

He could also find work performing for fairs, circuses and local celebrations.  This lifestyle allowed Les Mauldin to “fly solo” without the need for a mechanic since he could maintain his plane on his own.  There was plenty of upkeep for the small plane exposed to weather day in and out.  Some nights he might have to sleep under the wing of his plane and other times someone might offer to treat him to a home-cooked meal.  Once he landed, he might offer a reduced rate to the first man or woman hopped on.  The ride would be a calm smooth one so the passenger would spread enthusiasm to other spectators.  Once the excitement lulled he would move on to the next town.

Les and his Jenny with its engine exposed.

During his days as a “Gypsie Flyer” Les landed a spot for a local celebration of Armistice Day in which he was a featured attraction.  This undated ad is the only instance we can tell that Mauldin worked with a partner known as “Daredevil” Gresham.

That's Les doing stunt work before he let others do the stunts while he did the flying.  (from the Les Mauldin scrapbook courtesy of Junie Mauldin)

Marie Meyer was a pilot who started the Marie Meyer Flying Circus who did wing-walking stunts and hung (anchred) to the wing while the plane did lopp-the-loops.  She also parachute jumped from the wing.  American Aviatrixes: Women with Wings has more photos of her HERE.

In another undated news clip we find that Mauldin performed for a Fourth of July celebration where he hung from a rope ladder and performed an aerial fireworks exhibition.  Another 4^th of July celebration organized by the American Legion featured Les and a woman aviator Marie Meyer of St. Louis.  They excited the crowds by hanging from a rope ladder attached to the wing of the plane, wing walking and loop the loop stunts while offering rides all day and night performance with fireworks

Les landed a few contracts with Illinois and Missouri state fairs during this time but the competition was about to heat up.  His contracts usually stipulated in addition to doing aerial stunts he also had passenger-carrying privileges.  A state fair on average could last up to four days.  Some shows were so large that he began to sublet some of the flying work to others.

By this time Les was vice-president and manager of The Leslie W. Mauldin Aircraft Company of Fulton, Missouri.  He was also in need of a hanger to park his aircraft.  By 1921, on the outskirts of Fulton, Missouri on Toledo road (known as Route UU at the time) the first locally owned commercial airline by was established by Walter F. Henderson and Leslie W. Mauldin.  They built and managed the Henderson-Mauldin Aero Service and offered all kinds of commercial flying, specializing in cross-country passenger flights, aerial advertising, joy rides and exhibition flights.  Henderson was owner of the local First National Bank so they had some start-up money.