Robertson Aircraft Corporation
 | |
| Founded | 1918; Incorporated in Feb. 1921 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Lambert-St. Louis Flying Field, Anglum, MO |
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 at Lambert Field near 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.[1] In addition to St. Louis, RAC operated facilities in Kansas City, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and Fort Wayne. The company was owned and operated by brothers Maj. William B Robertson (1893-1943) and Frank H. Robertson (1898-1938) who were both former US Army aviators.
As an Airline
On April 15, 1926, Robertson Aircraft started Contract Air Mail service over route CAM-2 from Lambert Field to Chicago with Charles Lindbergh as chief pilot for the service.[2] RAC started service with four converted DH-4 aircraft (#s 109-112)[3] acquired from the U.S. Postal Service's Air Mail fleet two of which were lost in accidents in September and November, 1926, while being piloted by Lindbergh. RAC added service over CAM-29 between St.Louis and Omaha in May 1929.[4] Flight operations were bought by The Aviation Corporation in 1930, merging into American Airways in 1934, eventually becoming American Airlines.[5]
Production
On August 1, 1943, a WACO CG-4A military troop and cargo transport glider built under license by RAC crashed at Lambert Field in St. Louis during a demonstration flight when its right wing separated shortly after it had been released at 3,000 feet by its Army C-47 tow plane killing all ten on board including St. Louis Mayor William D. Becker, RAC President Maj. William B. Robertson, and VP/Chief Engineer Harold A. Krueger. Maj. Robertson's then 17-year old son, James, had been a passenger on a successful test flight of the glider made immediately before the fatal flight.[6][7][8]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco CG-4 (license built) | Template:Avyear | 170 | Combat Glider |
References
- ^ Aerial Age. Septemeber 12, 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.
- ^ "History of AMR".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Unknown parameter|rul=ignored (help) - ^ "Mayor of St. Louis, Other Officials Die in Glider's Plunge" The New York Times, August 2, 1943, p. 1
- ^ "St. Louis Mayor William Becker and nine others were killed on Aug. 1, 1943, when a World War II glider they were riding in plunged and slammed nose first into the ground near the Lambert Airport runway." Eleven images from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, stltoday.com
- ^ J. Norman Grim. To Fly the Gentle Giants: The Training of U.S. WW II Glider Pilots.