Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation
Wright-Martin Aircraft Corp. was incorporated in New York State in August 1916 by merger of the Wright Co. and the Simplex Automobile Co., which Wright controlled, with Wright Flying Field Inc., General Aeronautic Co. of America Inc., and the Glenn L. Martin Co. Assets of the new company included the Martin plant in Los Angeles, with a capacity of 10 aeroplanes a month; the Wright experimental factory in Dayton, OH; ownership of all of the Wright patents; the Simplex plant at New Brunswick, NJ, which employed 2,200 men on the new aviation engine and on Simplex cars and which was then being enlarged; the stock of the Wright Flying Field and its leased field with 20 sheds at Mineola, Long Island, NY, used for training aviators and testing machines; and the stock of the General Aeronautic Co., which handled the foreign business of the Wright Co. A large factory near New York was planned. Edward M. Hagar, Wright Co. president, was made president; Glenn L. Martin and C. S. Jennison were vice presidents; and Martin was to head the aeroplane dept.[1]
Soon after it was formed in 1916 the company obtained rights American production rights to the Hispano-Suiza motor, which was superior to domestic models at the time. Soon after that, France ordered 450 such motors from it. However, it was unable to supply them quickly, having shipped less than 100 by July 1917. Apparently it had prioritized production of Simplex automobiles.[2]
After Glenn L. Martin left in 1917, the company began concentrating on engine production. In May 1917, management of the firm was given to George W. Goethals & Co..[3][4] Major-General Geroge W. Goethals became president of the company on 3 October 1917.[5]
Following WWI Armistice, company reorganized as Wright Aeronautical Corp. and continued to concentrate on engine development, although it produced a small number of original aircraft designs. [Teturn to SD for aircraft] In 1929, Wright Aeronautical merged with Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. to form the Curtiss-Wright Corp.[1]
In one entry, SD includes Wright Aircraft Co., rather than the Wright Co., in the merger that formed Wright-Martin Aircraft Corp., but SD has no entry for Wright Aircaft Co. and all other information we have on the merger names the Wright Co. Soon after the merger, Orville Wright and the Dayton works of the Wright Co. joined Dayton Engineering Laboratory Co. (Delco) and Dayton Metal Products Co. to establish the Dayton Wright Airplane Co., which see. Martin left Wright-Martin in late 1917 to form a new Glenn L. Martin Co. in Cleveland, OH.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gunston, 1993, p330-331; Gunston, 2005, p509' SD190, 309, 310; 1916AAE300; 1916AAW653.
- ↑ Freudenthal, 1940, The Aviation Business, p. 25. Citing the "Hughes Report" by the U.S. Justice Department.
- ↑ Aircraft Year Book, 1919, p. 275.
- ↑ Freudenthal, 1940, The Aviation Business says "Martin himself left the company after a few months and it was then managed for a brief period by George W. Goethals and Company." Citing Current Opinion, Nov 1917, p. 352; and Aircraft Yearbook, 1919, p. 271ff.
- ↑ "Maj.-Gen. Goethals Heads Wright-Martin", Air Service Journal, 11 October 1917; p. 441.
| Names | Wright-Martin Aircraft Corp. |
|---|---|
| Country | US |
| City | Corporate office 66 Broadway, New York City, NY. Plants in Los Angeles, CA; New Brunswick, NJ; and Dayton, OH; flying field at Mineola, Long Island, NY. |
| Affiliations | MAA |
| Keywords | |
| Started aero | 1916 |
| Ended aero | 1918 or 1919 |
| Key people | |
| Wikidata id |
