James Oliver "Slim" Culpepper
Stunt Pilot

James Oliver "Slim" Culpepper ran away and joined the Navy at age 16. At some   point, he apparently learned how to fly, and he became a daredevil pilot and was notorious for his stunt flying. He would dive on churches interrupting prayer meetings, buzz outdoor events and fly between the buildings of the women's college in Milledgeville, GA.

In 1928, Slim married Louise Tisdale, daughter of A. W. Tisdale, who gave them a Waco airplane as a wedding present. Louise and Slim had met when Slim was hired to pilot a plane for Mr. Tisdale. After Slim and Louise married, he taught her how to fly and wing walk and they became part of a flying circus. The planes that they flew in were often literally held together with baling wire and would leak both oil and gas. Once, while Louise was wing walking, the plane's motor died covering the wing she was on with oil but as she lost her footing she was able to grab a guy wire and hold on even though her hand was cut to the bone.

Slim survived encounters with 400,000 volt power lines, collapsed landing gear and the loss of the tail of a plane he was flying. In 1938, he was pulled out of his last plane crash. He was 34 years old at the time of his death.

Ancestry

James Oliver "Slim" Culpepper was the son of Charles Smith  Culpepper, son of Jasmes Daniel Culpepper, son of George Washington Culpepper, son of John and Nacy Gillespie Culpepper. Some of the information in this article was provided by Mrs. A. M. (Eleanor Culpepper) Willingham, Article submitted by Lew Griffin and edited by Warren Culpepper.