From the time the first line was drawn on a blueprint, Wally Byam was cognizant of quality. Two important aspects that Wally focused on were usability and durability.
The early Airstreams, the Torpedo and the Airlite, had less complicated designs. The Airstream Clipper, which first appeared in 1936, could be compared with a jigsaw puzzle. It was made up of thousands of rivets, aluminum panels, plumbing and electrical components, propane lines, cabinets, kitchens, and fitted interior wood paneling. Attention had to be paid to the integrity of every single rivet. Rivets, doors, and windows were sealed to keep out dust and rain.
Wally Byam's belief that camping in an Airstream with family and friends provided a "shakedown run" that helped identify areas for improvement. Airstream, as a product, received constructive criticism that was always well-received. Factories would then implement those suggestions.
The first Wally Byam Caravan went to Mexico and Central America in 1951 - 1952. The future Pan-American Highway was still just a dream. Guatemala had far too many miles of unpaved road with rib-shaking washboard roads, covered in powdery silt dust.
The company had an auxiliary Airstream on the Caravan. After a day of traveling through dust clouds, the interior of the Airstream was saturated, every surface covered in fine silt. Hours were spent cleaning the trailer.
Wally spent the next day riding in the trailer. He found where to seal windows, vents, doors, and seams. He detailed each leak with corrective measures to be implemented at the factory upon their return.
Wally continued to review the Airstream's performance on every Caravan that followed. These improvements helped maintain - and even further - Airstream's sterling reputation as the best product on the market.
Factories in Santa Fe Springs and Jackson Center had water testing sheds to check for leaks prior to adding insulation and the installation of interior skins.
In the late 1960's, Airstream hired a new Director of Manufacturing. Harold Moody was an old friend of mine who came to Airstream from J.I. Case in Racine, Wisconsin. His background was in Materials Management, Engineering Design, Manufacturing, and he'd even previously been an Attorney.
Airstream, as the end of the 1960's approached, found that their two plants had insufficient capacity to meet sales demands.
In California, they built a new plant in Cerritos and moved from their Santa Fe Springs location. Jackson Center's new factory is across the street from their old location.
Harold proposed a water check station to Airstream President Art Costello, which would emulate torrential rains bordering on hurricane velocity. This impressive station was authorized, built, and today you can see this test station if you tour Airstream's facilities in Jackson Center.
The process is very simple: first, the exterior shell is completed and all components are added. All seams now have black seam tape between the pieces of aluminum followed by an application of exterior sealant over all seams and roof openings. All lights, outlets, and vents have gaskets to help with leak prevention.
Then, vents and doors and windows are added to complete the Airstream's exterior. The interior is then completely coated with a mastic sealing compound. When the water is activated, which tests only certain sealed areas. The goal: to prevent water from getting past the outside sealer and gaskets.
A worker inside the trailer looks for leaks around the doors, windows, and rivet lines. Any leaks that are found are marked and resealed after the test and before the unit is insulated and interior paneling is riveted in. Each trailer is tested for a minimum of 20 minutes. All leaks are corrected before the Airstream progresses down the line.
Today, an Airstream owner buying a new product can thank Wally Byam, Art Costello, Harold Moody, and today’s Airstream employees for a long history and pride for product usability, creativity, and durability.
