Alexander Aircraft Company
Encyclopedia
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
manufacturer in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the 1920s. The company began life as the Alexander Film Company, under the brothers J. Don and S. Don Alexander. The company specialized in film advertising, but when the younger J. Don Alexander wanted forty or fifty airplanes for his salesmen, he was forced to produce his own aircraft, as no company at the time was able to fill such an order. Originally headquartered in Englewood
Englewood, Colorado
The city of Englewood is a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. As of 2007, the city is estimated to have a total population of 32,532. Englewood is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. Englewood is located in the South Platte River Valley east of the...
, the film-turned-aircraft company was forced to move to Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
in order to expand.
The company built a number of successful versions of the Alexander Eaglerock biplane. These planes were especially popular with barnstormers
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
. (Test pilot Tony LeVier
Tony LeVier
Anthony W. "Tony" LeVier was an air racer and test pilot for the Lockheed Corporation from the 1940s to the 1970s.- Early life :...
took his first flying lesson from a barnstormer in an Eaglerock in 1928.) They were also used for carrying airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
, aerial photography, crop dusting, and air racing
Air racing
- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...
.
For a brief period from 1928 to 1929, Alexander was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, and more aircraft were built in Colorado than anywhere else in the world. However, financial woes forced the company to liquidate in the early 1930s. Alexander would also be known for starting the career of Al Mooney, the founder of Mooney Aircraft, a general aircraft manufacturer that continues in operation in Kerrville, TX.
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Eaglerock | xx | Two Place Biplane | |
| Alexander Flyabout D-1 Alexander Flyabout D -External links:*... |
xx | Two Place Monoplane | |
| Alexander Flyabout D-2 Alexander Flyabout D -External links:*... |
xx | Two Place Monoplane | |
Survivors
A Model 24 Eaglerock (NC2568) restored aircraft survive of the 893 built from 1926 to 1932. The oldest of these is an OX-5-powered "Longwing" Eaglerock on display at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space MuseumWings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...
, built in 1926; on loan from the Colorado Aviation Historical Society
Colorado Aviation Historical Society
The Colorado Aviation Historical Society is located in Denver, Colorado and founded in 1966. CAHS home is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum...
.
A later version, a 1930 Model A-14 (NC205Y), hangs at the west end of Concourse B of Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
. It was restored over a 25-year period by the Antique Airplane Association of Colorado.
At the Science Spectrum
Science Spectrum
The Science Spectrum is a hands-on science and technology museum featuring over 250 interactive exhibits, West Texas' only public aquarium, and daily live science shows...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, a 1929 Alexander Eaglerock biplane is on display.
A 1928 Eaglerock can be seen at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
. It is on loan from the Museum of Flight
Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County International Airport , south of downtown Seattle, Washington. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums...
collection.
Though none of the 11 Alexander Eaglerock Bullet monoplanes remain, a Wyoming pilot named Mary Senft Hanson recreated the aircraft and flew it successfully in October, 2006.
External links
- Eaglerock Longwing on display at Wings Over the Rockies
- Colorado Aviation Historical Society
- Alexander Eaglerock in the collection of the Seattle Museum of FlightMuseum of FlightThe Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County International Airport , south of downtown Seattle, Washington. It was established in 1965 and is fully accredited by the American Association of Museums...
- Listing of Alexander model types, from Aerofiles.com
- Biography of J. Don Alexander
- The Bullet Project
- Al Mooney designs for Alexander Aircraft