American Eagle Eaglet B-31 Santa Fe NM 25

The American Eagle Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft design and manufacturing company which existed briefly in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, but which was a victim of

the Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, after building some 500 light airplanes, many of which were the Model A-129, a design attributed to noted aviation pioneer Giuseppe Mario Bellanca.

History

The American Eagle Aircraft Corporation was started in 1925 in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

by Edward E. Porterfield. It was incorporated in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in September 1928. 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 A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

. He consulted with several aeronautical engineers of the period, including Bellanca, and soon launched the production of several light single-engine two-seat high-wing and biplane aircraft. In July 1929, it purchased the Wallace Aircraft Company. By June 1930, J. Carroll Cone – along with his assistant Joseph A. Young – had joined the company as vice president of sales. 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 14 May 1931, the company's assets were purchased by the Lincoln Aircraft Company of

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, which became the American Eagle-Lincoln Aircraft Corporation. To satisfy concerns about potential competition if he were to found his own aircraft manufacturer, Porterfield signed a contract with the new company to stay on as aircraft sales representative for two months. Following the expiration of his contract, Porterfield left the company in July 1931. He would later go on to form the Porterfield Aircraft Corporation, and died of a heart attack in 1948.

Victor Roos Victor H. Roos (April 26, 1888 - October 6, 1964) was an American entrepreneur and the founder or co-founder of several early aircraft companies, including Cessna Aircraft. Biography The only Bellanca CF built, at the National Air and Space Mu ...

, already president of the Lincoln Aircraft Company, continued as president of the American Eagle-Lincoln Aircraft Corporation. Most of the new company's effort went into producing the Eaglet, but the depth of the Depression soon killed this effort. However, it did not stop the company from considering investing in a new factory in Florida. During the six years of its existence, the American Eagle company (including its merged existence with Lincoln) produced over 700 airplanes. At the time of the Depression it was the world's third-largest aircraft production company.

Aircraft

References

External links

A detailed listing of company history and aircraft models
{{American Eagle Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Kansas 1925 establishments in Kansas Defunct manufacturing companies based in Kansas