Globe Aircraft Corporation
FormerlyBennett Aircraft Corporation
IndustryAerospace
Founded5 April 1940 (1940-04-05)
Founders
  • Frank W. Bennett
  • F. C. "Bub" Merrill
Defunct1947 (1947)
FateBankrupt
SuccessorTemco Aircraft
Headquarters
Fort Worth, Texas
,
United States
Key people
  • William G. Fuller
  • John Kennedy[1]

The Globe Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer formed in 1940 in Fort Worth, Texas. It was declared bankrupt in 1947.[2]

History

The Bennett Aircraft Corporation was originally formed on 5 April 1940 to develop aircraft using a Bakelite bonded plywood Duraloid.[2][3] The company's first design was the BTC-1 twin engined monoplane.[2] The company was renamed the Globe Aircraft Corporation in 1941 and they produced a single-engined Continental A-80 powered Globe GC-1 Swift.[2]

With the start of the war the company abandoned plans to produce the aircraft as it concentrated on sub-contract building of 600 Beech AT-10s[4] and components for other aircraft like the Curtiss C-46.[2]

When wartime restrictions were removed the company developed a re-designed and all-metal version of the GC-1 designated the GC-1A Swift which first flew in 1945.[2] The production of the Swift was sub-contracted to the Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company (TEMCO).[2] In July 1947 the company was declared bankrupt; the assets and design rights of the Swift were bought by TEMCO.[2]

Aircraft

Globe KD6G-2 Firefly
Model name First flight Number built Type
Bennett BTC-1 1940 1 Twin engine transport
Globe GC-1 Swift 1941 1,521 Sport airplane
Globe AT-10 Wichita 1943 600 Twin engine trainer
Globe KDG Snipe 1946 Target drone
Globe KD2G Firefly 1946 Target drone
Globe KD3G Snipe 1946 Target drone
Globe KD4G Quail 1949 Target drone
Globe KD5G 1950 Target drone
Globe KD6G Firefly 1951 Target drone

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Klein, Kenneth (8 October 2002). "John Kennedy and the Globe Aircraft Co". Rootsweb. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Simpson 1991, p. 160
  3. ↑ Pate, J'Nell L. (2011). Arsenal of Defense: Fort Worth's Military Legacy. Denton: Texas State Historical Association. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-87611-249-6. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  4. ↑ Andrade 1979, p. 41

Bibliography

  • Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
  • Simpson, R.W. (1991). Airlife's General Aviation. England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-194-X.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Globe Aircraft.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.