General Aircraft Corporation
Encyclopedia
The General Aircraft Company was an American
aircraft design and manufacturing company formed in the 1940s and ceased involvement with aircraft in 1976.
, a professor of aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. The aircraft was the G1-80 Skyfarer
, a two-seat cabin high-wing braced monoplane.
Before the company could produce the aircraft in any numbers the Second World War intervened, and the Skyfarer programme was abandoned after 17 examples had been built. The company became a manufacturer of the Waco CG-4A troop glider and the interests in the Wayfarer were passed to Grand Rapids Industries.
In 1969 the company bought the Helio Aircraft Company
which specialised in building STOL
aircraft for use by government agencies in south east Asia. The company ceased to manufacturer aircraft in October 1976 when it sold the production rights and assests of its Helio Aircraft division.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft design and manufacturing company formed in the 1940s and ceased involvement with aircraft in 1976.
History
The company was established at Lowell, Massachusetts to build an aircraft designed by Doctor Otto C. KoppenOtto C. Koppen
- MIT :Koppen was the professor emeritus of aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1929 Koppen returned to teach stability and control at MIT, where he remained until his retirement in 1965 As part of the course, Koppen took students up in a Fairchild 24 to...
, a professor of aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. The aircraft was the G1-80 Skyfarer
General Skyfarer
|-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing-External links:* early article on Skyfarer* one of the only known Skyfarers today* Dan Shumaker Collection...
, a two-seat cabin high-wing braced monoplane.
Before the company could produce the aircraft in any numbers the Second World War intervened, and the Skyfarer programme was abandoned after 17 examples had been built. The company became a manufacturer of the Waco CG-4A troop glider and the interests in the Wayfarer were passed to Grand Rapids Industries.
In 1969 the company bought the Helio Aircraft Company
Helio Aircraft Company
The Koppen-Bollinger Aircraft Corporation was founded by Otto Koppen and Lynn Bollinger in Massachusetts in 1948 to develop a light STOL utility aircraft...
which specialised in building STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
aircraft for use by government agencies in south east Asia. The company ceased to manufacturer aircraft in October 1976 when it sold the production rights and assests of its Helio Aircraft division.
Aircraft
- General SkyfarerGeneral Skyfarer|-References:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft , 1985, Orbis Publishing-External links:* early article on Skyfarer* one of the only known Skyfarers today* Dan Shumaker Collection...
(1940s) - Waco CG-4AWaco CG-4The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4 by the United States Army Air Forces, and named Hadrian in British military service....
(licence production)