Robertson Aircraft Corporation
 | |
| Founded | 1918; Incorporated in Feb. 1921 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St.Louis |
Key people | Maj. William B. Robertson, Frank Robertson and H. H. Perkins |
| Parent | American Airlines |
Robertson Aircraft Coroporation was a American aviation service company based in St. Louis, MO, that flew Air Mail and passengers, gave flying lessons, performed exhibition flights, and remanufactured/modified and resold surplus military aircraft (Standards, Curtiss Jennys/Canucks, DeHavilland DH-4's, Orioles, Spads, and others) and engines (OX-5s) beginning in the early 1920's. In addition to St. Louis[1], RAC operated facilities in Kansas City, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and Fort Wayne. The company was owned and operated by brothers Frank (1898-1938) and Bill (1893-1943) Robertson who were both former US Army pilots.
On April 15, 1926, Robertson Aircraft started contract airmail service route CAM-2 from Lambert field to Chicago with Charles Lindbergh as chief pilot for the service.[2] RAC started service with four DH-4 aircraft (#s 109-112)[3] acquired from the U.S. Postal Service's Air Mail fleet. RAC added service over CAM-29 between St.Louis and Omaha in May 1929.[4]
On August 1, 1943, a WACO CG-4A-RO military troop and cargo transport glider built under license by RAC crashed at Lambert Field in St. Louis during a demonstration flight when its left wing buckled shortly after it had been released by its C-47 tow plane killing all ten on board including St. Louis Mayor William D. Becker, Maj. William B. Robertson, and Harold Krueger, both of Robertson Aircraft.[5][6]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco CG-4 (license built) | Template:Avyear | 170 | Combat Glider |
References
- ^ Aerial Age. 12 Septemeber 1921.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Thomas Streissguth. The roaring twenties.
- ^ Richard Bak. The Big Jump: Lindbergh and the Great Atlantic Air Race.
- ^ John Motum. The Putnam Aeronautical Review.
- ^ "Mayor of St. Louis, Other Officials Die in Glider's Plunge" The New York Times, August 2, 1943, p. 1
- ^ "Breezing Along With The Breeze". Wings. December 1989.