Luscombe Aircraft
Donald Arthur Luscombe | |
| Successor | Temco Aircraft |
|---|---|
Luscombe Aircraft was a United States aircraft manufacturer from 1933 to 1950.
History
The new company's first aircraft was the Luscombe Model 1, commonly known as the Luscombe Phantom. This was a high-wing, two-place monoplane of all-metal construction (except for the fabric wing covering). The Phantom was tricky to land, and was never a financial success.
In the winter of 1934/35, Luscombe Aircraft moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and was incorporated as the Luscombe Aircraft Development Corporation. Shortly afterwards, the Luscombe School of Aeronautics opened. Trainees from the school worked in the Luscombe factory, and the school helped support the aircraft company for many years.
In 1936, the company designed and began flying a simplified version of the Phantom known as the
The Luscombe Aircraft Corporation was re-formed as a
In 1946, Luscombe also introduced the four-place
The firm was bankrupt in 1948 and its assets were purchased the following year by
As of December 2024[update] the factory assets and certificates are up for sale.[1]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luscombe Phantom | 1934 | 25 | Two-seat cabin airplane |
| Luscombe 4 | 1937 | 6 | Civil utility airplane |
| Luscombe 8 | 1937 | 5,867 | Civil utility airplane |
| Luscombe 10 | 1945 | 1 | Sport airplane |
Luscombe 11
|
1946 | 90 | Light touring airplane |
8-F Production by Silvaire Uranium and Aircraft Company, Ft. Collins, Colorado
When TEMCO of Dallas, Texas chose to discontinue production, the Luscombe tooling, parts and other assets were purchased by Otis Massey (not the Houston mayor, Otis Massey.) Massey had been a Luscombe dealer since the 1930s. His new venture opened in Fort Collins, Colorado, as Silvaire Uranium and Aircraft Company. From 1956 to 1961, this firm produced 80 aircraft. The make and model for all 80 was Silvaire 8-F, with "Luscombe", shown in quotation marks, in company literature. The company's prototype aircraft, N9900C, serial number S-1, was built in 1956. N9900C first flew on September 10, 1956 and was sold, according to the FAA aircraft database, to a dealer, Boggs Flying Brokers, in California the following spring. Six aircraft were built in the next twelve months (serial numbers S-2 through S7). Serial numbers S-2 and S-3 were shipped via C-46 aircraft to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first aircraft, S-1, was constructed from spares or Material Review Board serviceable parts remaining from TEMCO's prior production. TEMCO supplied enough inventory for the completion of approximately four aircraft (Swick, 2005).
References
- ^ "ENTIRE LUSCOMBE AIRCRAFT CORPORATION FACTORY". proxibid.com. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
- Thomas, Stanley G. (1991). The Luscombes (1st ed.). ISBN 0-8306-3618-8.
- Swick, John C. (1992). The Luscombe Story (3rd ed.). ISBN 0-943691-00-1.
- Zazas, James B. (1993). Visions of Luscombe - The Early Years (1st ed.). ISBN 0-943691-09-5.
- Swick, John C. (2005). Luscombe's Golden Age (1st ed.). ISBN 1-891118-51-X.
External links
- The Luscombe Endowment
- Continental Luscombe Association
- Luscombe Association