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Davis Aerial Service

Privacy Level: Open (White)
Date: 1953 to 1985
Location: Safford, Graham, Arizona, United Statesmap
Surnames/tags: Davis crop dusting
Profile manager: Connie Davis private message [send private message]
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two airplanes and a service truck are in a field with a hill behind
Davis Aerial Service in Whitman County, Washington, 1959
Davis Aerial Service, a crop dusting business, was founded by Walton Leslie Davis (1911-1980) in 1953 in Ritzville, Adams County, Washington, and by 1957 was located in Ledger, Pondera County, Montana. The business eventually operated out of Safford, Graham County, Arizona and Colfax, Whitman County, Washington. Walt's son Leslie Walton Davis (1932-2014) managed the Safford operation, and son Alvon Hale Davis (1933-1968) managed the Washington operation.[1] During summer seasons, the Washington crew relocated to Arizona to support the busy Arizona crew.[2]

Davis Aerial Service used Piper Cubs, a popular plane due to its ability for "STOL" - Short Take-Offs and Landings. The business often used short, straight stretches of county roads for take-off and landing when an airport was not nearby. Piper Cubs were used during World War II and the Korean War for observation, as an air ambulance, and transporting military leaders and supplies.[3] For crop dusting, airplanes were specially fitted with spray nozzles for applying herbicides and pesticides. In the early days, flaggers were employed who stood in the fields waving flags to show the pilots where to spray, moving after each pass of the plane until an entire field was sprayed. Automatic flagman equipment replaced people in the late 1960s. In Washington, the business operated in the rolling Palouse Hills, and planes and pilots needed to be able to fly low and follow the curves of the hills. More than one airplane crashed in Washington.[2] During the 1960's, Alvon demonstrated that spray planes could be useful for fighting grain fires.[4]

a man in white work overalls stands next to a red and white pickup. In the back of the pickup there is a German shepherd dog standing on an auxiliary gas tank with his front paws on the top of the cab.
Von Davis with Lucky ca 1966
As a family business, everyone was involved. Alvon, a talented artist, created the logo with the image of an airplane in red. Alvon spent doped the plane fabric by applying a plasticized sealant as well as doing mechanical repairs. Edna Leona (Workman) Davis (1910-2002) kept the books and cooked for the crews and Gladys Oletia (Johnson) Davis Simpson (1938-2021) flagged, fed the crews and ran errands. Family pets were part of the business, including Lucky, a German Shepherd mix that liked to ride on the back of the tank in Alvon Davis' truck. Davis Aerial Service employed several pilots, including veterans, including Lee M. Colley, who eventually purchased the business with a partner and renamed it Southeastern Aviation.[2][5]

After Alvon died in an airplane accident in 1968,[6][7] Walton and Edna took over the Washington operation until Walton retired in 1975 and sold the business.[8][2] Les operated the Safford business until 1985 when he became active at the state level, representing aerial applicators as a lobbyist.[9]

Walt Davis' business card

Sources

  1. Edna (Workman) Davis, “Memories,” handwritten manuscript, before 1980, Steptoe, Whitman County, Washington; privately held by Connie Davis, [address for private use], Hope, British Columbia, 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Memory of Connie Davis.
  3. "Piper J-3 Cub," Wikipedia, (Piper J-3 Cub : accessed 28 October 20230.
  4. “Service set Friday for Alvon H. Davis,” obituary, The Colfax Gazette (Colfax, Washington), 5 September 1968, page 3, column 1.
  5. "Lee M. Colley," obituary, Lewiston Morning Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho), 27 April 1990; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (link : accessed 28 October 2023).
  6. Arizona Department of Health, death certificate 68-008037 (1968), Alvon Hale Davis; Division of Vital Records, Phoenix; original in files of Connie Davis.
  7. “Aviation Database,” Final Report #LAX69F0142, Elfrida, Cochise County, Arizona, 30 August 1968, database, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB : accessed 9 January 2016).
  8. “Walton L. Davis obituary,” Colfax Gazette, Colfax, Whitman Co., WA, May 1980, unknown page, clipping provided by Edna (Workman) Davis, held in 1994 by Connie Davis.
  9. “Leslie Walton Davis,” obituary, Eastern Arizona Courier, Safford, AZ, 30 Apr 2014, downloaded 1 May 2014.




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