Aeronca Aircraft

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Aeronca, Incorporated
Type Operating Division
Founded 1928
Headquarters Middletown, Ohio
Industry Commercial Aviation and Defense Industry
Parent Magellan Aerospace
Website aeroncainc.com

Aeronca, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry. In the 1930s and 1940s, the company was a major producer of general aviation aircraft, and also produced the engines for some of their early designs.

[edit] History

The Aeronca Aircraft Corporation was founded November 11, 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Backed by the financial and political support of the prominent Taft family—future Ohio senator Robert A. Taft was one of the firm's directors—Aeronca became the first company to build a commercially successful general aviation aircraft, and by the time production ended in 1951 Aeronca had sold 17,408 aircraft in 55 models.

1946 Aeronca 11AC Chief
1946 Aeronca 11AC Chief

Production began with the Jean A. Roche-designed Aeronca C-2 monoplane, often called the Flying Bathtub, in 1929. The next major model was the Scout of 1937, a two-seater, which was developed into the famous Chief and Super Chief the next year.

In 1937 there was a massive flood at the Lunken Airport, resulting in the entire airport area being washed away. Water was almost as deep as the control tower. Aeronca's factory was destroyed, along with the tooling and almost all of the very early blueprints and drawings. At this time a decision was made to move the entire operation to a more stable area. Middletown Ohio was chosen and the company has remained there ever since. All of the airplanes produced from the start of production in 1929 to 1937 are known as the "Lunken" Aeronca's and the airplanes produced after spring 1937 are known as the "Middletown" Aeronca's.

The Defender, a tandem trainer version of the Chief with a higher rear seat, was used in training many of the pilots who flew in World War II. Several observation and liaison aircraft designs were also produced during and after the war, including the L-3, L-16, and O-58.

In 1945, following the close of World War II, Aeronca returned to civilian production with two new models, the 7AC Champion or Champ and the 11AC Chief. While the Champ shared its tandem seating arrangement with the pre-war tandem trainer and the Chief shared its name with the pre-war Chief designs, both were new designs. A benefit of the concurrent development was that the new airplanes had about 80% of their parts in common. Between the designs, the Champ was favored by the public, evidenced by its outselling its sibling at a rate of 4 to 1. Between 1945 and 1951, nearly 8,000 Champions were sold; over the same period, something over 2,000 Chiefs.

Aeronca ceased light aircraft production in 1951, and in 1954 sold the Champion design to the new Champion Aircraft Corporation of Osceola, Wisconsin, which continued building variants of the Champion as well as the derivative design, the Citabria. Aeronca now builds components for aerospace companies including Boeing, Northrop, Lockheed, and Airbus. In its 23-year history, Aeronca manufactured 17,408 aircraft spanning 55 different models but the company will be forever best known as the creator of “The Flying Bathtub.”


[edit] Aircraft

[edit] Engines

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Aeronca aircraft

Civilian: C-2 · C-3 · K · L · Chief · T · Defender · Champion · Sedan ·

Military: L-3 · L-16 · LNR · O-58 · TG-5

Experimental: Arrow · Eagle · Chum ·  ·  · Built Under Licence: PT-19 · PT-23


[edit] Museum Displays

1936 Aeronca C3 Master
1937 Aeronca Model "K"

[edit] References

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