Central States Airplane Company was established in 1927 to build Don A. Luscombe's Monocoupe. In January 1928, the company became the Mono Aircraft Division of Velie Motor Corporation. Following Willard Velie's death in March 1929, the Velie interests were sold to Allied Aviation Industries, a holding company. By May, these interests were divided into two separate companies: the Lambert Aircraft Engine Corporation and the Mono Aircraft Company of Moline, IL. Both companies passed into receivership in 1931, reemerging in 1932 as the Lambert Engine and Machine Company and the Monocoupe Corporation In July 1934 the two companies joined under the newly formed Lambert Aircraft Corporation with Monocoupe continuing to operate under its own name. In 1940 the company was dissolved and its assets passed to the Monocoupe Aeroplane and Engine Corporation (transferring operations to Orlando, FL).[1]
In September 1941, Monocoupe acquired the Bristol Aircraft Corporation of Bristol, VA and its Canadian subsidiary Bristol Aircraft Products Ltd. The operations of these three companies were combined under the Universal Molded Products Corporation with Monocoupe forming a separate division of the company. Aircraft production halted during World War II, resuming briefly in 1948-1950 under the name Monocoupe Airplane and Engine Corporation In 1955, the corporate assets were acquired by a West Virginia aviation group, which reorganized the company as Monocoupe Aircraft of Florida, Inc. and transferred operations to Melbourne, FL.[1]
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