Porterfield Aircraft Corporation

The Porterfield Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft design and manufacturing company founded in 1934 in Kansas by Edward E. Porterfield.

History

Edward Porterfield was running a flying school at the Fairfax Airport outside Kansas City. He had been operating Jennies and Lincoln Standard biplane trainers, and felt the need for a more suitable and better-performing trainer aircraft. He consulted with several aeronautical engineers of the period, including Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, and soon launched the production of several light single-engine two-seat high-wing and biplane aircraft. Then, in 1925, he started the American Eagle Aircraft Corporation.

Late in 1929, the worldwide stock market crash severely depressed the sale of non-essential items such as sport airplanes, although American Eagle continued producing airplanes until 1931. Early in that year, Porterfield's company declared bankruptcy and halted production. On 15 May 1931, the company's assets were purchased by the Lincoln-Page Aircraft Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Porterfield assumed the title of aircraft sales representative of that company, which became known as the American Eagle-Lincoln Aircraft Corporation, with production headquarters in Lincoln.

Porterfield left the company in 1932, forming then the Porterfield Aircraft Company. It never achieved the numerical success of the larger light aircraft manufacturers such as Piper Aircraft, Aeronca and Taylorcraft, though the planes were well made and popular with pilots. With the start of World War II, however, light aircraft production for civilian use came to a stop. Harlow Aircraft Company bought a one-third interest in the company.[1] Bigger companies took great benefit from military contracts but Porterfield, with no large military orders forthcoming, quietly faded away.

Edward Porterfield died from a heart attack in 1948.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ "The Quiet Professor". Air Progress Sport Aircraft. Winter 1971.

See also