Franklin Engine Company

Franklin Engine Company
Industry Aerospace engineering
Founded 1902
Defunct 1975
Headquarters Syracuse, New York
Products Aircraft engines

The Franklin Engine Company was an American manufacturer of aircraft engines. Its designs were used primarily in the civilian market, both in fixed wing and helicopter designs. It was briefly directed towards automobile engines as part of the Tucker Car Corporation, returning to aviation when that company failed. The company was later purchased by the Government of Poland.

History

The firm began as the H. H. Franklin Co. in 1902 in Syracuse, New York, USA, to produce Franklin air-cooled automobiles. Barely surviving bankruptcy in 1933, the company was purchased by a group of ex-employees and renamed Aircooled Motors in 1937. While the company kept the name of "Aircooled Motors," its engines continued to be marketed under the Franklin name.[1] Engineers Carl Doman and Ed Marks kept the company alive through the depression by manufacturing air-cooled truck and industrial engines.

During World War II Aircooled Motors was very successful producing helicopter and airplane engines. Several aircraft carried its engines, including the Aero-Flight Streak, Bartlett Zephyr, Bell 47, Bellanca Cruisair, Brantly B-1, Goodyear Duck, H-23 Raven, Hiller 360, Piper J-3F Cub, Seibel S-4, Sikorsky S-52, Stinson Voyager, Taylorcraft 15, Temco TE-1B, and the YT-35 Buckaroo.

Aircooled Motors was purchased by Republic Aviation Company in 1945 to produce engines for its Republic Seabee light amphibious aircraft. After the war demand for the engines dropped dramatically and Republic was unsure of the company's future.

In 1947 Aircooled Motors was purchased for the price of $1.8 million by the Tucker Car Corporation to produce an engine for the 1948 Tucker Sedan.[2] After purchasing Aircooled Motors, Tucker cancelled all of the company's aircraft contracts so that its resources could be focused on making automotive engines for the Tucker Corporation. This was a significant event, since at the time of Tucker's purchase Aircooled Motors held over 65% of postwar U.S. aviation engine production contracts. For this reason, when the Tucker Car Corporation failed amidst allegations of stock fraud, Aircooled nearly failed with it.

Tucker and the Tucker family continued to own the firm until 1961, when the family sold it to the Aero Industries, which restored the name of the Franklin Engine Company.

In 1975 the government of Poland bought the company and moved it to Rzeszów, first under the name PZL-Franklin and later simply PZL-F.

The company is now called Franklin Aircraft Engines Sp. z o.o. with the address ul. Chełmińska 208 in 86-300 Grudziądz city in Poland. The website is at http://www.franklin-engines.com/.

Products

Franklin O-335/6AC Engine.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Flying Magazine: 13. August 1945. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ Egan, Philip S.; Design and Destiny: The Making of the Tucker Automobile; On the Mark Publications; 1989
  3. ↑ "Franklins assemble-it-youurself "Sport 4-A"". Air Trails: 55. Winter 1971.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Franklin aircraft engines.
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