The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, until it was taken over by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1929.
 | |
 Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Company in Ithaca, New York in 1915 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Founders | |
| Defunct | 1934 |
| Fate | Bought by Consolidated Aircraft |
| Successor | Consolidated Aircraft |
Key people | Frank L. Morse |
History
editFounded in 1910 by English immigrants William T. Thomas and his brother Oliver W. Thomas[1] as Thomas Brothers Company in Hammondsport, New York,[2] the company moved to Hornell, New York, and moved again to Bath, New York, the same year.[2] At the Livingston County Picnic in 1912 The Thomas Brothers Hydro-aeroplane was scheduled to fly the first Hydro-aeroplane in Livingston County but later reported the winds prevented the flight.[3] During 1913, the company operated the affiliated Thomas Brothers School of Aviation at Conesus Lake, McPherson Point in Livingston County, New York state[2][4] (taking a page from Glenn Curtiss, who did much the same at Keuka Lake). In 1913, the name became Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Company and based in Ithaca, New York.[2] On December 7, 1914, the company moved to Ithaca.
In 1915, Thomas Brothers built T-2 tractor biplanes (designed by Benjamin D. Thomas, no relation to the brothers and also an Englishman, formerly of Vickers, Sopwith, and Curtiss,[1] and later the company's chief designer) for the Royal Naval Air Service[5] and (fitted with floats in place of wheels)[6] for the United States Navy as the SH-4. They received an order for 24 T-2's from the British, for use in the European war. Because the Curtiss OX engines weren't available, they founded an engine subsidiary, the Thomas Aeromotor Company, which would stress their finances.[7] In 1916, the company won a contract from the United States Army Signal Corps for two aircraft for evaluation, the D-5.[6]
In January 1917, financial difficulties led to the company merge with Morse Chain Company (headed by Frank L. Morse), who was backed financially by H T Westinghouse,[7] becoming Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation, still based in Ithaca.[2] The company then made an attempt at selling training biplanes to the United States Army and was successful with the S-4 trainer (which included a handful of S-5 floatplanes and a single S-4E) and MB series of fighters. The last company design was the O-19 observation biplane. In 1929 the company was taken over by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, becoming the Thomas-Morse Division, and ceased business in 1934.[2]
Aircraft
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| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Brothers D-2 | |||
| Thomas Brothers D-5 | |||
| Thomas Brothers HS | |||
| Thomas Brothers T-2 | 1914 | 25 | Single engine biplane |
| Thomas Brothers S-4 | 1917 | Single engine biplane advanced trainer | |
| Thomas Brothers SH-4 | 15 | Floatplane version of T-2 | |
| Thomas-Morse MB-1 | 1918 | 1 | Single engine monoplane fighter |
| Thomas-Morse MB-2 | 1918 | 2 | Single engine biplane fighter |
| Thomas-Morse MB-3 | 1919 | 265 | Single engine biplane fighter |
| Thomas-Morse MB-4 | 1920 | 2+ | Twin engine biplane mail plane |
| Thomas-Morse MB-6 | 1921 | 3 | Single engine biplane racer |
| Thomas-Morse MB-7 | 1921 | 2 | Single engine monoplane racer |
| Thomas-Morse MB-9 | 1922 | 1 | Single engine monoplane fighter |
| Thomas-Morse MB-10 | 1921 | 1 | Single engine monoplane trainer |
| Thomas-Morse R-5 | 1922 | 2 | Single engine monoplane racer |
| Thomas-Morse TM-24 | 1925 | 1 | Single engine biplane observation airplane |
| Thomas-Morse O-6 | 5-6 | All metal version of Douglas O-2 | |
| Thomas-Morse O-19 | 176 | Single engine biplane observation airplane | |
| Thomas-Morse XP-13 Viper | 1 | Single engine biplane fighter |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ a b "Thomas-Morse Tommy | Aircraft |".
- ^ a b c d e f Aerofiles:Thomas, retrieved 8/4/2008
- ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Aug 7,1912
- ^ 1913 Aero and Hydro vol 6 pg 249
- ^ Donald, David, ed. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft (Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997), p.875, "Thomas Brothers and Thomas-Morse aircraft".
- ^ a b Donald, p.875.
- ^ a b "Flying Magazine". Flying: The World's Most Widely Read Aviation Magazine: 54–. August 1960. ISSN 0015-4806.
Bibliography
edit- Donald, David, ed. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, p. 854, "Standard aircraft". Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing, 1985, p. 3000.
External links
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Media related to Thomas-Morse aircraft at Wikimedia Commons