ARIZONA AIRWAYS INFO
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ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION
ROCKY NELSON (1905-1951) COLLECTION, 1946-1951
MSS-107
The ROCKY NELSON COLLECTION contains a financial report, press releases, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks. 
They range in date from 1946 to 1951. These materials document the establishment of an intrastate airline called 
Arizona Airways, a campaign by that airline to gain route use permission from civil aeronautic authorities, and 
concurrent public debate over the utility of air feeder lines in general. This collection also documents a 
concerted effort to convert small, municipal airports and former Army Air Forces facilities in Arizona into commercial 
terminals. 
2 boxes: 0.5 linear feet. 
Found on Internet
(6/21/99)



Hi Jake,
I have quite a ream of stuff too.  I rummaged thru it with nothing found on Rocky's death.  Also, a point of
interest...my father, "Pic" Walker sold the first three DC-3's to Arizona Airways.  Arizona Airways 
also had a fourth that, apparently, was never flown.  
I dated a girl in high school that was the daughter of one of Arizona Airways founders, Johnny Bulla, a well known golf pro.
Johnny lives in the area and I just tried calling him for some of his recollections.  
However, no one answered, so I left my number.
Sincaeronautically,
Billy Walker
(6/21/99)


Rocky was the president of Arizona Airways from it's incoportation.  He was a 1500 hour pilot, 
instrumental in the Arizona Airways preliminary flight school for the US Navy. 
(FAL captain EP Lietz was an instructor there before becoming an US Air Corps C-46 "Hump Pilot")...

Nelson was a member of the National Aeronautic Association, president of State Development Co. from 1928-32, 
president of Nelson Engineering Corp, formed by him in 1932 and operated until 1941 when he formed his Navy flight school.

The two largest share holders in the new airline were Nelson (8050 shares) with $80,000 subscribed and 
Vice President Johnny Bulla (4000 shares) with $40,000 subscribed.  The Goldwaters had $21,000 invested.

Other board members of Arizona Airways were:

Bob Goldwater, JJ Glancy, JR Heron, Maurice Hackett, Bill Beatus, Jim Maffeo, JD Merill, Bill Chamberlain, 
EC Lockleer, Columbus Giragi, LR Inwood, Joe Bartles, JB Van Buren Wittman and Del Webb.

Barry Goldwater was a "silent partner" and had a lot of input in the development.  When Ralph Johnson and my Dad 
delivered the first DC-3 to Phoenix they were met by Barry and Bob Goldwater along with Bulla and a few others.

The airplanes were purchased through the War Assets Office with my Dad's company, Plains Airways, acting as the broker.  
The titles passed direct to Arizona Airways.

When the merger took place making Frontier, apparently no flight crews were part of it while the two seniority lists of 
Central and Monarch were merged with bad blood lasting to today!  Most notable was the Les Schaffer/Ben Stuart saga...

Sincaeronautically,

Billy Walker
(6/21/99)