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Aeronca, Incorporated history
Aeronca, Incorporated company history timeline
In 1931, the company introduced the C-3 "Collegian" or "Duplex" models, which were 36-horsepower, two-seat versions of the single-seat C-2 "Scout."
Further, the Aeronca used only external wire-bracing to hold the wing in place -- a practice outlawed in 1934.
The low price generated significant sales; 128 C-3 Masters were built in 1935 alone and the 500th Aeronca aircraft also rolled off the assembly line that same year.
In January, 1937, the Ohio River -- which surrounded the Aeronca factory and half of Lunken Airport -- crested in one of the worst American floods in living memory, overflowing the dikes that had kept Lunken Airport dry.
Consumer demand for more comfort, longer range and better instrumentation resulted in the development of the Aeronca Model 40 Chief in 1938, powered by a 50-horsepower (37-kilowatt) Continental, Franklin or Lycoming engine.
Werner, Don, ed., "Flying the 1940 Aeronca",
The company officially changed its name to Aeronca in 1941.
In 1942, Aeronca developed a three-seat training glider, the TG-5, based upon the O-58 design.
Certified on October 18, 1945, the “Champ” became Aeronca's most popular aircraft.
The plane sold like crazy in 1946, as the 90-mph 7AC Champion, and began the one of the longest-selling, most popular light plane designs of all time.
The Arrow, an experimental low-wing cabin monoplane with retractable landing gear, was unveiled in 1947 but never went into full production.
The four-seat Model 15 Sedan, also introduced in 1947, proved to be a popular addition to the Aeronca product line.
Aeronca, "Better Fly Aeronca" Aeronca Factory brochure, 1948, online at Aeronca 11AC Chief website, at:
First, in the 1950's, as the government began to take bids for a replacement for the L-16 and other liaison/spotter aircraft, Helioplane approached Aeronca to build the production version of their "Helio" airplane.
Aeronca ceased producing light aircraft in March 1951, selling the rights for the Champion design to the Champion Aircraft Company of Osceola, Wisconsin.
But in 1951, with the Korean War having just begun, and the tensions of the "Cold War" with the Soviet Russia at their peak, America was pouring vast sums into military aircraft.
In the early 1970's, homebuilt-airplane maven Jim Bede approached Aeronca to be the manufacturer of his popular Bede BD-5 homebuilt kits -- as production aircraft.
Flying Times Quarterly , Summer, 1972, p.22 (first-person Pilot's Report & history)
Donald A. Bordlemay was named Aeronca president and CEO in September 1976.
Flying Times Quarterly , 1976, Volume2, #3, p.48 (first-person Pilot's Report & history)
In 1976, the company had sold its foreign subsidiary at a loss.
Aeronca briefly stepped back into the construction of complete aircraft in 1978.
Davisson, Budd, CFI, "In the beginning, there was the Aeronca C-3," (pilot report & history), Air Progress, August, 1979, online at:
March, 1981 (pilot report, analysis & history of Citabria, Decathalon, Super Decathalon, and Scout)
President and chief operating officer Joe L. Miller was appointed CEO in March 1981.
By August 1981, the company was formulating plans to launch a new microcomputer software division.
He added the title of chairman in January 1983.
The software sold for about $345. Its Next Step database software, introduced in April 1983, was designed to allow business managers to utilize IBM Personal Computers without relying on computer programmers.
Aeronca's sales were $43.8 million in 1983.
Private Pilot , Oct, 1984, p.42 (report)
In 1984, Aeronca dropped plans to acquire Continental Scale Corp. of Bridgeview, Illinois, due to a disagreement over price.
Aeronca Inc. was acquired by Fleet Aerospace Corp. in September 1986.
Aeronca sold CompositAir's assets to Ferro Corp. in March 1987.
Casey, Gerry A., Flying As it Was: True Stories from Aviation's Past, 1987, TAB, Blue Ridge Summit, Penn. (detailed accounts, largely first-hand, of encounters with many important aircraft & aviators during aviation's "Golden Age," by noted general aviation history writer & pioneer aviator).
In November 1992, Bill J. Wade, president of both Fleet Aerospace and Aeronca, resigned. It sold Aeronca's California operations to Aerostretch Acquisition Inc. in December 1990.
Van der Linden, F. Robert, The Boeing 247: The First Modern Airliner, , Illustrated by Victor J. Seely, 1991, University of Washington Press, ISBN 0295970944, partial preview of content excerpts viewable online at:
In November 1992, Bill J. Wade, president of both Fleet Aerospace and Aeronca, resigned.
Vintage Airplane , August, 1994, Volume22, #8, p.13 (first-person Pilot's Report & history)
In August 1995, Aeronca won a C$16 million ($12 million) contract from McDonnell Douglas to provide fuselage components for the MD-11 aircraft.
The name of Aeronca's parent company changed from Fleet Aerospace Corporation to Magellan Aerospace Corporation in October 1996.
AOPA Pilot , August, 1998, p.50 (first-person Pilot's Report & history)
In September 1999, Textron Marine & Land Systems awarded Aeronca a contract to produce propeller ducts for an amphibious assault vehicle being developed for foreign sales.
Fueled by a new $29 million jet exhaust systems contract, Aeronca began an $11 million, 60,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of its Middletown, Ohio, facilities in 2000.
Private Pilot , July, 2002, p. (first-person Pilot's Report & history & report)
_____________, "75th Anniversary Issue", August, 2002 (150-page anecdotal history of aviation; particular detail on general aviation; selected excerpts from 75 years of Flying)
by Ann Krueger Hussey, Office of History and Research, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, USAF, Randolph AFB, Texas, December, 2004; online at: http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061109-020.pdf
Plane & Pilot , Feb, 2004, (first-person Pilot's Report, history & analysis), online at:
Private Pilot , Feb, 2005, p.54 (first-person Pilot's Report & history)
Melinda Hopper flies this pristine Aeronca 7AC Champ, shown here at their invitational appearance at the 2008 Kansas Flight Festival, in Wichita.
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Aeronca, Incorporated competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pratt & Whitney | 1925 | $16.2B | 38,737 | 26 |
| Continental Aerospace Technologies | 1905 | $71.0M | 150 | - |
| Arrowhead Products | 1937 | $240.0M | 640 | 14 |
| Leoni Wiring Systems | 1994 | $9.6M | 45 | - |
| South Bend Controls | 1940 | $880,000 | 5 | - |
| Curtiss-Wright | 1929 | $3.1B | 9,000 | 683 |
| Weir Valves & Controls | - | - | - | - |
| Semco Instruments | 1965 | $82.8M | 53 | - |
| Prototype Productions | 1991 | $7.5M | 50 | - |
| Cobham | 1934 | $2.4B | 3,700 | - |
Aeronca, Incorporated history FAQs
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