Fleetwings
Encyclopedia
Fleetwings, later Kaiser-Fleetwings, was an American
aircraft company of the 1930s and 1940s.
facility on the Delaware River in Bristol, PA, and moved its operations there. The corporate structure of Fleetwings, Inc., was dominated by the de Ganahl family. In the mid-1930s, its Board of Directors included Carl de Ganahl, Charles F. de Ganahl, Chloe de Ganahl, Joseph de Ganahl and Frank de Ganahl. During the company's history, Carl, Cecil and Frank de Ganahl each served as President at various times.
The company became Kaiser-Fleetwings in when it was purchased in March, 1943, by Henry J. Kaiser
's Kaiser Industries. Kaiser-Fleetwings' entered its XBTK-1
in a United States Navy
attack aircraft competition, with five aircraft being flown. The contract went to the Douglas
AD-1 Skyraider
and the Martin AM Mauler
.
The Kaiser-Fleetwings Co. still existed as late as 1960, when it manufactured the launch canister for the Echo 1 balloon satellite at its Bristol factory.
Kaiser-Fleetwings
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft company of the 1930s and 1940s.
History
Fleetwings started in 1926 (under a different name) as a business based on a patented mechanical timing device, which proved particularly suited to controlling automated welding equipment. After developing the additional capacity to offer welding services, it pursued research and technology specifically related to the welding of stainless steel. In 1929, the company reorganized as Fleetwings, Inc., in Garden City, NY, to develop stainless-steel aircraft structures. The company progressed to manufacturing components for other aircraft manufacturers, including ribs and control surfaces for the Ireland "Privateer" amphibian, and ribs, flaps and tail surfaces for Grover Loening Aircraft Company, and moved to a larger location in a hangar on lower Roosevelt Field, Long Island. In 1934, it purchased the former Keystone AircraftKeystone Aircraft
Keystone Aircraft Corporation was an early pioneer in airplane manufacturing. Headquartered in Bristol, Pennsylvania, it was formed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, but its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp, then to the Huff-Daland Aero Company...
facility on the Delaware River in Bristol, PA, and moved its operations there. The corporate structure of Fleetwings, Inc., was dominated by the de Ganahl family. In the mid-1930s, its Board of Directors included Carl de Ganahl, Charles F. de Ganahl, Chloe de Ganahl, Joseph de Ganahl and Frank de Ganahl. During the company's history, Carl, Cecil and Frank de Ganahl each served as President at various times.
The company became Kaiser-Fleetwings in when it was purchased in March, 1943, by Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
's Kaiser Industries. Kaiser-Fleetwings' entered its XBTK-1
Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK
|-See also:-References:* Andrews, Hal. "XBTK-1". Naval Aviation News. , Vol 76 No 4. pp. 28–29.* Donald, David, general editor. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X....
in a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
attack aircraft competition, with five aircraft being flown. The contract went to the Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
AD-1 Skyraider
A-1 Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...
and the Martin AM Mauler
AM Mauler
|-See also:-References:NotesFootnotesBibliography* Andrade, John. U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0 904597 22 9...
.
The Kaiser-Fleetwings Co. still existed as late as 1960, when it manufactured the launch canister for the Echo 1 balloon satellite at its Bristol factory.
Aircraft
Fleetwings- Fleetwings 33Fleetwings 33-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing...
- Fleetwings Sea BirdFleetwings Sea Bird|-References:*...
- Fleetwings BT-12Fleetwings BT-12|-See also:-References:* John Andrade, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9 * The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing...
- Fleetwings BQ-1
Kaiser-Fleetwings
- Kaiser-Fleetwings A-39Kaiser-Fleetwings A-39The Kaiser-Fleetwings A-39 was a project by Kaiser-Fleetwings for an attack aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines. It was to be armed with four .50 caliber machine guns and two 37 mm cannons. The A-39 was canceled before any prototypes were built.-See also:-References:*...
- Kaiser-Fleetwings BQ-2
- Kaiser-Fleetwings BTK
- Kaiser-Fleetwings FK