Ace Aircraft Manufacturing Company
Encyclopedia
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
in 1929
1929 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1929:- Events :* Greatest number of fatal civil aircraft crashes in US history.* Cubana de Aviación begins service.* Pan American World Airways begins service.* The Canadian Siskins aerobatic team is formed....
by Orland Corben to market the world's first homebuilt aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...
, a machine of his own design called the Baby Ace
Ace Baby Ace
|-See also:-External links:* provides info on the kit for building the Corben Baby Ace Model D.*...
. The enterprise did not last long before US regulations changed to restrict homebuilt aircraft, and Corben was forced to stop marketing his design.
He next commenced operations in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
in 1931
1931 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1931:- Events :* Manufacturer Airspeed Ltd founded in York, England.* Alexander Seversky founds the Seversky Aircraft Corporation....
under the name Corben Sport Plane and Supply Company and produced a prototype sports plane known as the Super Ace. This endeavor soon languished, and the company remained dormant until Paul Poberezny
Paul Poberezny
Paul Howard Poberezny is a US aviator and aircraft designer famous for his work in establishing the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1953 and promoting homebuilt aircraft.-EAA:...
purchased its assets for $US 200 in 1952
1952 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1952:- Events :* The Royal Navy conducts the worlds first trials of an angled flight deck, aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Triumph. It had been invented by Royal Navy Captain Dennis R. F. Campbell,* The Royal Navy conducts the worlds first trials of a...
. This included plans to three aircraft designs and a variety of components.
Poberezny was one of the founders of the Experimental Aircraft Association
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
in 1953
1953 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1953:- Events :*The first year in which the world's airlines carried more than 50 million people*Argentina initiates a study of the feasibility of converting either a cargo ship or a heavy cruiser into an aircraft carrier in an Argentine shipyard....
and was approached by Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated
Mechanix Illustrated was an American magazine founded in the first half of the 20th century to compete against the older Popular Science and Popular Mechanics...
magazine the following year
1954 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1954:-January:* January 10 – A de Havilland Comet 1, operating BOAC Flight 781, crashes into the Mediterranean Sea near Elba following fatigue failure, killing all 35 people aboard.-February:...
to write a series of articles on building an aircraft at home. Their publication caused considerable demand for plans, but Poberezny felt compelled to divest himself of marketing them in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
with his position within the EAA.
Since then, the rights have changed hands several times. They were purchased from Poberezny by Cliff Du Charme of West Bend, Wisconsin, who sold them to Edwin Jacobs of McFarland, Wisconsin
McFarland, Wisconsin
McFarland is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, on the eastern shore of Lake Waubesa. The population was 7,808 at the 2010 census...
in 1961
1961 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961:-January:* January 3 – Aero Flight 311, a Douglas DC-3C, crashes near Kvevlax, Finland, killing all 25 people on board. An investigation finds that the captain and first officer both were exhausted for lack of sleep and drunk at the time of...
. Jacobs sold them in 1965
1965 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1965:-January:* January 2 - Denis Healey, the United Kingdoms Secretary of Defence, cancels the nation's fighter and military transport programmes and orders the purchase of the US-built F-4 Phantom and C-130 Hercules in their place.* January 26 -...
to Thurman Baird of Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, who also owned the rights to the American Flea and the Heath Parasol aircraft. The rights were purchased from Baird's estate in 1986
1986 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1986:-January:* January 9 - the UK Defence Secretary, Michael Heseltine, resigns amidst a political furore over the future of Westland Helicopters...
by Denny Meadows of Chesapeake, West Virginia
Chesapeake, West Virginia
Chesapeake is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,643 at the 2000 census. The town is situated on the Kanawha River. Chesapeake was incorporated in 1949 and named for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which has served the community since 1873. It is also the...
, who sold them to the current owner, Bill Wood of Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...
in 1998
1998 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1998:-Events:* Cirrus Aircraft successfully flight-tests the CAPS ballistic emergency aircraft parachute.* Adam Aircraft Industries founded* Eclipse Aviation founded-January:...
.