Marshall Civic Center
and
Nicholas Beazley Aviation Museum

History

The following is a brief history filled with some fun facts about the Nicholas-Beazley Aircraft Manufacturing Company:

• 1919-1923 (The Formative Years)
  • In 1915, at age 20, Russell B. "Penny@" Nicholas starts the first taxicab business in Marshall
  • In 1919 Nicholas enlisted in the Marine Corps Flying Service and became a mechanic at the Great Lakes Naval Air Station
  • In 1921 Nicholas began purchasing surplus aviation materials, which became a rather lucrative business. He purchased OX-5 Propellers from the Sheffield Hardware Company of Americus, Georgia for $.50/each and sold them for $3/each. Eventually sold 3,000 of them at a very quick pace
  • In 1921 Nicholas purchased the Boyd and Gorell Garage on West North St. This business became quite successful
  • In 1921 Nicholas became part owner of a Curtiss JN-4D with Joe Hammer of Marshall. Joe served in the Marine Corps with Nicholas. Joe crashed the Curtiss one day
  • That same year, Dwight "Barney" Zimmerley of Cogswell, North Dakota also crashed his plane near Marshall
  • Nicholas, Hammer, and Zimmerley gathered the parts, and rebuilt an airplane that would become their first plane used for their flight school
  • In 1922 the Central Missouri Aviation Club was formed in Marshall. The airport was located on an 80 acre field
  • In June 1923, Nicholas met Howard Beazley who purchased half interst of the Star & Durant Distributorship from Nicholas
  • That year they formed the Nicholas-Beazley Motor Company
  • Nicholas aerial shows became quite popular. They logged more than 70 flights (each flight was 20 minutes in duration) and flew more than a total of 1500 miles in Missouri, Kansas , and Iowa. Joe Hammer was the pilot, and Jimmy Donahue was the wing-walker. They used the Jenny JN-4 for their acts
  • Nicholas and Beazley frequented the National Air Races in St. Louis. This is where they met the world famous aeronautical engineer Walter H. Barling, who later designed the wing for the NB-3.
• 1924
  • Nicholas Airplane Company made an order to purchase surplus aviation material and engines stored in Houston, Texas
  • While living in Houston, Nicholas met Frank Robertson and formed the Standard J-1 Company of Houston. The company built J-1 Standard aircraft and sold them to various buyers.
  • Nicholas leaves Houston, returns to Marshall, but needed space for six warehouses full of aviation parts. He had to rent nine buildings and use hitchyards for storage and assembly. In fact he stored 500 OX-5 engines in the basement of the Virginia Hotel
  • Newell Farm becomes the new aviation operations center in Marshall. However, it was necessary to clear the livestock off the runway.
  • In 1924, Nicholas and Beazley form the Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company. To do so, they had to close part of their automobile business to devote their time to aviation
  • In their first year of business, Nicholas and Beazley sold 160 aircraft
  • They also developed a catalog advertising inventories of aircraft parts, which included 200 OX-5 and OX-6 engines, new, used, and overhauled; 2000 Standard J-1 upper and lower wings; 200 complete Standard J-1 airplanes; 300 OX-5 and OX-6 Hispano propellers; 200 JN-4D and Carnuck ailerons, rudders, elevators, fins and stabilizers

  

  • In 1924 Nicholas establishes a flying school, which he names the "School of Air"
  • March 6, 1925, the Marshall Flight School is established with Nicholas, Beazley, and Hammer on the Board of Directors and Benny Howard as a flight instructor. They used 1 Standard airplane; the school had some iron roofing; and used a pile of lumber for constructing 2 hangars