Thomas W. Benoist
Thomas Wesley Benoist | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | June 14, 1917 Sandusky, Ohio, US | (aged 42)
Resting place | Hopewell Cemetery, Hopewell, Washington County, Missouri |
Occupation(s) | Aviator Aircraft designer Aircraft manufacturer Airline entrepreneur |
Thomas W. Benoist (December 29, 1874 – June 14, 1917) was an American aviator and aircraft manufacturer. In an aviation career of only ten years, he formed the world's first aircraft parts distribution company, established one of the leading early American aircraft manufacturing companies and a successful flying school, and from January to April 1914 operated the world's first scheduled airline.[1][2]
Biography
Early life
Thomas Wesley Benoist was born on December 29, 1874, in Irondale, Missouri, the son of Pierre E. Benoist and the former Anna S. Gregory. One of the first industrialists in St. Louis, Missouri, he was a successful businessman in the automobile industry by 1904.[2]
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
In 1904, Benoist was among the sponsors of an unsuccessful
Aerosco
In 1907, Benoist in partnership with E. Percy Noel founded the Aeronautic Supply Company, known as Aerosco, the world's first aircraft parts distributor. At first, Aerosco limited itself to dealing in raw materials and parts for use in aviation experiments, but it soon expanded to sell kits allowing customers to assemble complete airplanes, including those by leading manufacturers of the day, such as Blériot monoplanes, Curtiss biplanes, Farman biplanes, and Wright Flyers. It also sold a wide range of books on aviation topics.[2]
Aviator
Benoist soon purchased a Curtiss-type airplane built by
Aerosco Flying School and Benoist Aircraft Company
In March 1911, Benoist established the Aerosco Flying School at Kinloch Field, and it soon drew students from throughout the United States; it later was renamed the Benoist Flying School. At around the same time, he bought out his partner and moved the original Aerosco company to a larger facility in a suburb of St. Louis, renaming it the Benoist Aircraft Company. With the name change, he reoriented the company from dealing in aviation parts and kits for aircraft by other manufacturers to building airplanes of original design. As an intermediate step, he designed and manufactured a version of the Curtiss-Gill airplane he had purchased in 1910. The flying school and manufacturing concern were both so successful that Benoist airplanes and pilots soon were appearing all over the United States.[2][5][6]
On October 20, 1911, the Benoist Aircraft factory burned to the ground, destroying five complete airplanes, many tools, machinery, and all of the company's files. Although the loss was not insured, Benoist bounced back quickly, opening a new factory nearby, bringing aviator Tony Jannus – who would soon become its chief pilot – into the company in November 1911, and designing and building the first Benoist airplane of completely original design, the Type XII Headless, before the end of 1911.[2][6]
By 1912, Benoist Aircraft was one of the leading aircraft companies in the world.[7] The Type XII Headless made history when, piloted by Jannus, it carried Albert Berry over Kinloch Field on March 1, 1912, and Berry made the world's first successful parachute jump from an airplane. Improvements in the Type XII led to the development of the Land Tractor Type XII later in the year, which, configured as a floatplane, set a distance record for overwater flight in a journey of 1,973 miles (3,175 km) down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers from Omaha, Nebraska, to New Orleans, Louisiana, between November 6 and December 16, 1912. Jannus performed 42 aerial exhibitions during the trip, exposing thousands of people in the central and southern United States to aviation.[2]
In December 1912, Benoist Aircraft produced its first flying boat, the Type XIII Lake Cruiser, which the company demonstrated widely during the summer of 1913. A larger Type XIV flying boat soon followed.[2]
During the
First scheduled airline
In 1913,
Transatlantic flight ambition
In early 1913, Benoist and Jannus initiated the development of a large new flying boat capable of
Financial troubles and later designs
Unable to secure a large contract for its airplanes during the war, Benoist Aircraft began to experience financial problems by 1915. To reduce costs, Benoist moved the company first to Chicago, Illinois, and then to Sandusky, Ohio, where it affiliated with the Roberts Motor Company, which was Benoist's preferred source for aircraft engines. Benoist designed the Type XVI flying boat and Type XVII landplane, both of which appeared in 1916.[2]
Death
On June 14, 1917, Benoist died when he struck his head against a
Benoist is buried at Hopewell Cemetery in Hopewell in Washington County, Missouri.
Gallery
References
- ^ Missouri Historical Society. Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society, Volumes 31-32.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m airandspacemuseum.org Roos, Frederick W., "The Brief, Bright Aviation Career of St. Louis's Tom Benoist," American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., 2005. Archived December 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ James Neal Primm. Lion of the valley: St. Louis, Missouri, 1764-1980.
- ^ AAHS journal, Volume 43. 1998.
- ^ E. R. Johnson. American flying boats and amphibious aircraft: an illustrated history.
- ^ a b Lynn M. Homan; Thomas Reilly; Rosalie M. Shepherd. Women Who Fly.
- ^ Reginald D Woodcock. Benoist: Thomas W. Benoist, Benoist Airplane Company, Benoist students and pilots.
- ^ Noel, E. Percy (April 5, 1913). "Three entries made in Aero and Hydro Cruise". Vol. VI, no. 1. Aero and Hydro. p. 3. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Noel, E. Percy (May 31, 1913). "Aero and Hydro Great Lakes Reliabilit Cruise Entries to Date". Vol. VI, no. 9. Aero and Hydro. p. 166. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Flying. December 1953.
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(help) - ^ "Welcome to Flight City". Archived from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.