Their company, Farrington Aircraft, worked on acquiring existing Air & Space 18A airframes as well as the type certificate. John Potter, the former Vice President of Air & Space Manufacturing, Inc., went into partnership with Farrington. The assets of Air and Space Manufacturing went into storage, and were eventually (in the 1980s) acquired by one of the dealers, retired Pan Am pilot I. Securities and Exchange Commission, and though those concerned were eventually cleared of all charges, the associated costs and delays resulted in the collapse of the company in 1966. The fund raising resulted in accusations of stock irregularities by the U.S. Air and Space Manufacturing, Inc., was again faced with dealer pressure for aircraft and commenced efforts to raise $2.5 million for expansion. By late 1965 sixty-eight gyroplanes had been completed and delivered, 14 more were near completion, some were later stolen when Air and Space Manufacturing was in receivership. In early 1965, the FAA awarded the corporation a production certificate for the Air & Space Model 18A gyroplane, a model which had only minor differences from the Umbaugh U-18. Ībout one hundred Umbaugh dealers took over the assets of Umbaugh Aircraft Corporation and in 1964 established Air and Space Manufacturing, Inc., of Muncie, Indiana, to commence production. ![]() Under pressure from the dealers, Umbaugh Aircraft Corporation ceased operations in 1962 and the agreement with Fairchild was terminated.Īir and Space Manufacturing Inc. ![]() ![]() Umbaugh established a large network of dealers and distributors in the United States, upon whom he imposed minimum sales quotas to generate a large order backlog, but he experienced difficulty filling the orders due to inadequate manufacturing capability at Fairchild. Umbaugh had by this time concluded an agreement for Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation to undertake final development and mass production of the U-18 as the “Flymobil.”įairchild built five development gyroplanes during 1960, one of which was used to gain FAA Approved Type Certificate 1H17 in September 1961. Sufficient stability was finally achieved by the use of two fixed vertical fins with a centrally mounted all-flying rudder, all mounted on a horizontal stabilizer. The third empennage tested, also unsuccessfully, was a T-tail with two large vertical end plates on the horizontal tail plane. The second prototype, named Umbaugh U-18, was fitted with a V-tail which also proved inadequate. The prototype exhibited stability problems due to its single rudder and minimal T-tail horizontal stabilizer positioned on a boom behind the pusher propeller. The majority of the testing of the aircraft was done at Bartow Air Base in Bartow, Fl. Further test flights were conducted by chief pilot Ken Hayden and former Pitcairn Autogiro Company pilot Slim Soule. The prototype Umbaugh U-17, built by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation of Hagerstown, Maryland, flew in August 1959. ![]() Gilbert Devore commenced the design of Umbaugh's tandem two-seat jump-takeoff gyroplane in 1958, basing the rotor system on that of the Sznycer Omega BS-12 helicopter. Umbaugh, a manufacturer of agricultural fertilizer, founded Umbaugh Aircraft Corporation in Ocala, Florida, in 1957 to develop a gyroplane based on experience he acquired while modifying single-seat Bensen Gyrocopters. 1.5 Heliplane Aircraft Corporation Internationalĭevelopment Umbaugh Aircraft Corporation.1.4 Production by Air and Space America, Inc.
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