Growing his company to about 20
employees by the late 1930s, Warren continued to develop new lighting systems for
aircraft and was the only aircraft lighting
manufacturer in a position to provide a
tried-and-tested product as the world
moved into World War II. As his business
exploded into myriad different divisions
and companies, Warren passed along the
rewards he received to his employees and to
the community of Urbana. In 1943, he
became Urbana’s mayor and, in that same
year, completed the construction of his own
airport. The day the airport was opened, he
donated it to the city of Urbana and agreed
to lease space on it and pay for the operating costs of the field.
Warren obtained his private pilot certificate in 1943 and owned numerous airplanes
over the ensuing years. His first plane was a
Luscombe Silvaire, and the list included a
Beech Staggerwing, Stinson Reliant, and
several other popular aircraft of the day.
MULTIHUED SUCCESS
As Grimes Manufacturing grew during and
after World War II, new exterior lighting
products had to be tested. The process of
testing an exterior aircraft light is more
complex than simply screwing a light bulb
into a socket to see if it works. Aircraft lighting must address issues such as
aerodynamics, reflectivity, color, and interaction with other lights. Warren often tested
new inventions on his personal planes, but
the company also operated “Flying
Laboratories.” The Flying Labs allowed multiple lights to be installed and compared
against each other.
The other Flying Labs in the Grimes
inventory were two Beech 18s and a North
American T- 28. The Flying Lab of today is
actually a C- 45 produced by Beechcraft in
1944 for the Army Air Corps. It’s hard to
believe it qualifies as a warbird as we see it in
its current livery. Released by the Air Force
in 1960, the plane was acquired by Grimes
