Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Skyfarer | Single engine cabin monoplane | ||
| General CG-4A | 1,112 | Assault glider | |
| General GAC-100 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt four engine regional airliner |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Lynn L. Bollinger |
| Subsidiaries | Helio Aircraft Company (1969–1976) |
The General Aircraft Company was an American aircraft design and manufacturing company that was formed in the late 1930s and ceased involvement with aircraft in 1976.
The company was established at Lowell, Massachusetts to build an aircraft designed by Doctor Otto C. Koppen, a professor of aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aircraft was the G1-80 Skyfarer, a two-seat cabin high-wing braced monoplane. [2] [3] The company was applied for its first patent, an airplane wing, in 1939. [4]
Before the company could produce the aircraft in any numbers the Second World War intervened, and the Skyfarer programme was abandoned after either 17 or 18 examples had been built. [5] [6] After establishing a factory in Astoria, New York, the company became a manufacturer of the Waco CG-4A troop glider [7] and the interests in the Wayfarer were passed to Grand Rapids Industries.
The company announced plans to produce a new regional airliner called the GAC-100 at its plant in El Segundo, California in 1968. [8]
In 1969, the company bought the Helio Aircraft Company which specialised in building STOL aircraft for use by government agencies in south east Asia. [9] The company ceased to manufacture aircraft in October 1976 when it sold the production rights and assets of its Helio Aircraft division. [10]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Skyfarer | Single engine cabin monoplane | ||
| General CG-4A | 1,112 | Assault glider | |
| General GAC-100 | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt four engine regional airliner |
The Cessna Aircraft Company was an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The company produced small, piston-powered aircraft, as well as business jets. For much of the mid-to-late 20th century, Cessna was one of the highest-volume and most diverse producers of general aviation aircraft in the world. It was founded in 1927 and was purchased by General Dynamics in 1985, then by Textron, Inc., in 1992. In March 2014, when Textron purchased the Beechcraft and Hawker Aircraft corporations, Cessna ceased operations as a subsidiary company and joined the others as one of the three distinct brands produced by Textron Aviation.
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wing aircraft and other hybrid aircraft with powered rotors such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and gyrodynes.
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditions. STOL aircraft, including those used in scheduled passenger airline operations, have also been operated from STOLport airfields which feature short runways.
The ERCO Ercoupe is an American low-wing monoplane aircraft that was first flown in 1937. It was originally manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO) shortly before World War II; several other manufacturers continued its production after the war. The final model, the Mooney M-10, first flew in 1968 and the last model year was 1970. It was designed to be the safest fixed-wing aircraft that aerospace engineering could provide at the time and the type continues to enjoy a faithful following.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, including as a bush plane, but is overall a larger aircraft.
The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in the 1960s, over 750 are still in service with commercial operators around the world. The aircraft is a light transport with over 30 military aviation operators around the world.
The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, with the rear engine between them. The horizontal stabilizer is aft of the pusher propeller, mounted between and connecting the two booms. The combined tractor and pusher engines produce centerline thrust and a unique sound. The Cessna O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster.
The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light C/STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949.
The Cessna 401 and 402 are a series of 6 to 10 seat, light twin, piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner. All seats are easily removable so that the aircraft can be used in an all-cargo configuration. Neither the Cessna 401 nor the 402 were pressurized, nor were they particularly fast for the installed power. Instead, Cessna intended them to be inexpensive to purchase and operate.
PZL-104 Wilga is a Polish short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) civil aviation utility aircraft designed and originally manufactured by PZL Warszawa-Okęcie, and later by European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), who had acquired the original manufacturer during 2001.
The Helio Twin Courier is a twin-engined version of the Helio Courier, with very few examples being produced.
The type designation Dornier Do 28 comprises two different twin-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier Flugzeugbau GmbH. Most of them served with the German Air Force and Marineflieger and other air forces around the world in the communications and utility role. The Do 28 series consists of the fundamentally different Do 28 A/B (1959) and Do 28 D Skyservant (1966).
The General Aircraft G1-80 Skyfarer was a 1940s American two-seat cabin monoplane aircraft built by the General Aircraft Corporation of Lowell, Massachusetts.
The Harlow PJC-2 was a 1930s American four-seat cabin monoplane, designed by Max Harlow.
The Helio Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded in 1948.
The Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly was an observation aircraft designed and built by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A single-engined parasol wing monoplane, it was designed for optimum STOL capability, but although three prototypes proved highly successful in testing, the Stinson YO-49 was judged superior and no production contract was placed.
Otto C. Koppen was an American aircraft engineer.
The Pitcairn Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of light utility aircraft. An early proponent of the autogyro, the company, later known as the Autogiro Company of America among other names, remained in business until 1948.
William Wallace Kellett was an American aircraft executive and manufacturer, especially associated with rotary-wing aircraft. He was president of Kellett Autogiro Corporation and Republic Aviation Corporation. His company constructed the first successful wingless aircraft in the United States. There was a wide variety of potential users for his unique airplane. The first autogyro airplane used by the United States Post Office Department to carry mail was produced by Kellett. He received congressional approval for funding such a project after he gave senators and representatives demonstration flights of his wingless autogyro aircraft as part of a promotion in Washington D.C.
G Elias & Brother was and American manufacturer of cabinets and aircraft based in Buffalo, New York in the 1920s. A.G. Elias sat on the Manufacturers Aircraft Association's board of directors along with President Frank H. Russell, VP Glenn L. Martin, Charles L. Laurence, Chance M. Vought, S.S. Bradley, George P. Tidmarsh, and Donald Douglas. E.J Elias promoted the construction of a Buffalo municipal airport to aid the local fledgling airplane industry of five aviation companies constructing airplanes and airplane parts. From 1920 to 1925, Elias company's chief engineer, David Earle Dunlap (1896-1957), designed the Elias EM-2 Expeditionary planes. He designed the NBS-3 bomber fuselage and the Elias M-1 Mail plane. Dunlap's Elias TA-1 design was the first United States Army Air Corps Trainer to have a radial engine. After tests a McCook Field, the Army Air Corps selected other manufacturers over the Elias bomber and trainer. The company designed the Elias EM-1 to meet requirements for a multirole amphibian marine expeditionary aircraft. Elias delivered six production Elias EM-2 aircraft with Liberty engines to the United States Navy in 1922.
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