Viewing page 26 of 38

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

while returning with a party of five from the Bahamas. He was flying a Navy-type HS2-L flying boat with single Liberty engine. It was necessary to sit out the night afloat. The next morning he was able to resume and flew into Vero Beach. Trans-Oceanic returned to Port Washington, Long Island, in the spring and in May McCulloch flew parties from Port Washington to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to attend the Third Annual Pan-American Aeronautic Congress. In June he carried parties to view the yacht races from the air while an evening news reporter who was aboard radioed his comments direct to the news office in New York.
In January, 1921, McCulloch looped a Curtiss Seagull flying boat at Palm Beach before a large crowd, the first time this had ever been done. During 1921 he did some test flying for aircraft firms and on August 16th broke the world 3-passenger flying boat altitude record flying the new Liberty-engined Loening Flying Yacht to 19,500 feet at Port Washington, Long Island. His passengers were Grover Loening, Leroy Grumman and L. D'Orcy. 
It is not known when McCulloch gave up flying, but apparently he continued to live in the New York area. He later suffered a hunting accident in Canada and one arm was badly injured. Following a long illness he passed away in a New York hospital on September 20, 1955, at age 64, survived by his wife, three daughters, a son and a brother.
Flying Pioneer David H. McCulloch indeed had a most distinguished flying career, almost entirely on water planes. Instructor, test pilot and specialist in large flying boats, the Navy Department often called on his vast experience when laying plans for new planes. To a large measure his ability and experience were an important factor in bringing the NC-3 to port in the Azores.