Wells purchased a surplus World War I Jenny, and was soloing in only four hours and twenty minutes. He then barnstormed his way around the country offering $1.00 rides in his OX-5 Travel Air at county fairs. After winning the 1929 Transcontinental National Air Races, he served as test pilot and chief engineer for the Travel Air Company. After realizing that the top wing obstructed a pilot’s view during turns, Wells designed a plane with a displaced top wing. He brought this “Staggerwing” design to the Beech Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kansas. At Beechcraft, Wells designed the famous Beech Model 18, also known as the Model C-45, used by the United States government as a navigation training and transport aircraft, and the Beech Bonanza V-tail airplane. Wells’s designs and engineering were the foundation for quality aircraft from the 1930’s through the 1950’s.