Christmas Aeroplane Company

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Christmas Aeroplane Company
IndustryAircraft Production
Founded26 October 1909; 114 years ago (1909-10-26)
Defunct1912; 112 years ago (1912)
SuccessorDurham Christmas Aeroplane Sales & Exhibition Company (1912), Cantilever Aero Company (1918)
Headquarters
Washington D.C.
Key people
Dr. William Whitney Christmas (1865-1960), Lester C. McLeod, Thomas W. Buckey

The Christmas Aeroplane Company was an American aircraft manufacturer.

History

It was founded in October 1909 to produce an aircraft, initially with $1,200 in funding, followed by an additional $2,500.[1][2] Its founder Dr. William Whitney Christmas had claimed to build and fly his first aircraft, the "Red Bird I" in 1908 becoming the second person to fly an aircraft after the Wright Brothers. The Christmas aeroplane company built its first aircraft, the "Red Bird II" at College Park Maryland with a claimed flight on 15 October 1911. The "Red Bird III" was built in the spring of 1912, with a contract from the U.S. Postal service to deliver Air Mail.[3][4]

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Cantilever Aero Company
Model name First flight Number built Type
Christmas Bullet - Built by the Continental Aircraft Corporation of New York 1918 2 Scout

References

  1. ^ "Christmas Aeroplane Company". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  2. ^ Aerial Age: 335. 29 May 1916. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ Thomas C. Parramore. First to Fly: North Carolina & the Beginnings of Aviation.
  4. ^ Spencer Heath (October 1910). "Propeller Design and Construction". Aeronautics: 112.