St. Louis Aircraft Corporation
| Company type | Aircraft manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1917 |
| Defunct | 1945 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Products | Aircraft |
Number of employees | 600 (1918) |
St. Louis Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer founded in September 1917.[1]
In 1915, the St. Louis Car Company had been approached by Thomas W. Benoist to build 1000 flying boats. A prototype was built, but the concept did not go into production.[2]
In 1917 The United States government needed to form a production interest for World War I aircraft production needs. The St. Louis Aircraft Corporation was founded by A.J. Seigel of the Huttig Sash and Door company, and Edwin B Meissner of the St. Louis Car Company.[3] Their two companies had skilled labor and facilities needed to construct wood-framed aircraft. The company became one of six across the country to produce the Curtiss JN-4D Jenny with first deliveries in 1918. The first order (720552) was for 200 aircraft,[4] the company delivered 30 aircraft a month, and 57 JN-4D's in October 1918.[5][6]
The company went dormant until 1928 when it started production of the Cardinal and later the Cardinal Senior.[7] The company ordered 100 100 hp Kinner K-T radial engines to power the light monoplane, but production ceased in 1931 in the peak of the depression.[8]
The company continued to build parts while aircraft production was not viable. It specialized in supplying components for the Engineering section at Wright Field.[9] In the buildup to World War II, the company developed its own biplane trainer the St. Louis PT-35, which lost to the Boeing Stearman. It also produced a low winged trainer to compete in an Army contract, the St. Louis PT-LM-4. It lost out to the Fairchild PT-19 model.
The company was put into service again for World War II production. The company subcontracted aircraft parts for the effort and built 44 Fairchild PT-19 and 306 PT-23 licensed aircraft designs.[10] It also was one of 8 companies that competed for a combat troop glider. Its XCG-5 did not go into production.[11]
In 1945, the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation was shut down after wartime contracts ended.[12]
Aircraft[edit]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtiss JN-4D (license built) | 1918 | Scout plane | |
| St. Louis Cardinal | 1928 | 21 | Sport monoplane |
| St. Louis PT-35 | 1935 | 1 | Biplane primary trainer |
| St. Louis YPT-15 | 1940 | 14 | Primary Trainer |
| St. Louis PT-LM-4 | 1940 | 1 | Primary Trainer |
| St Louis CG-5 | 1941 | 1 | Combat glider |
| PT-19 (License built) | 1941 | 44 | Primary trainer |
| PT-23 (License built) | 1941 | 306 | Primary trainer |
References[edit]
- ^ Jeremy R Cox. St. Louis Aviation.
- ^ "Thomas Benoist and the World's First Airline". Gateway News. November 1984.
- ^ Aerial age, Volume 8.
- ^ Congressional edition, Volume 7768 By United States. Congress.
- ^ Aerospace Industries Association of America. Aircraft yearbook.
- ^ United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Expenditures in the War Department. War expenditures: hearings before subcommittee no. 1, Volume 3.
- ^ David Mondey (1978). The complete illustrated encyclopedia of the world's aircraft.
- ^ Airway age Volume 11. 1930.
- ^ Aerospace Industries Association of America Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America (1936). Flying Volume 4.
- ^ "St.Louis Cardinal". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Richard Stewart KirKendall. A History Of Missouri: 1919 To 1953.
- ^ William Earl Parrish; William E. Foley; Richard S. Kirkendall; Perry McCandless. A History of Missouri: 1919 to 1953.