Corporate Aviation Management

2. Evolution of Corporate Aviation Technology and Progress of Corporate Aviation

2 Evolution of Corporate Aviation Technology and Progress of Corporate Aviation This chapter deals with the evolution of corporate aviation. It also covers aircraft and management requirements as corporate aviation progressed and aircraft technology became more sophisticated. EVOLUTION OF CORPORATE AVIATiON Corporate use ofairplanes began with the use of the open-cockpit biplane for advertising purposes. The Curtis Candy Company used a biplane to advertise its candy bars. La Tourraine Coffee Company used an airplane for promotional purposes. The Gulf Oil Company owned a Grumman biplane named Gulf Hawk, painted in company colors, which was used to advertise its products at air shows. The New York Daily News used a biplane to fly reporters to news events (figure 2.1). The open-cockpit airplane was not the ideal machine for passenger transportation purposes. Very few open-cockpit airplanes had the capacity for more than two passengers, and exposure to the elements necessitated wearing appro- 22 Part One: R ole, Development. and Function Figure 2.1 . Waco Co. biplane operated by the New York Dail}' NtwS. 193233 . Source: John W. Underwood, Glendale, CA priate clothes. Use ofthe company airplane for executive travel did not actually materialize until a cabin airplane was designed, which could offer some measure ofcomfort such as constant cabin temperature. comfortable seating, noise insulation, and ease of cabin access. Will Rogers. an early avi.1tion pioneer, proved the reliability and nexibility ofsingle-enginc cabin aircraft by lIsing this type airplane to travel all over the North American continent. The National Air and Space Museum currently displays one of the first cabin-type executive aircraft, the Model CF, built by the Bellanca Company in 1922 (figure 2.2). The BeU anca CF was succeeded in 1925-26 by Wright-Bellanca's WB- t and WB-2, both prototypes. At the 1925 National Air Races, the "WB- \'s comfortable cabin created quite a sensation, as did the WB-2 the following year. Charles Lindbergh wanted the Wll-2 for his intended ttansatlantic flight but was unable to reach an accord with Bellanca. So, in desperation, he went to Ryan, which had not yet built a cabin airplane. R yan was constructing a cabin monoplane, a spinoffofthe moderately successful mailplane and progenitor ofthe Spirit of St. Louis. In 1927, Lindbergh successfully piloted the Spirit ofSt. Louis across the Atlantic, demonstrating many possibilities for aviation in the future. His pioneering feat proved that an airplane could travel great distances and be navigated without reference to the ground for checkpoints, that an engine Evolution and Progress Figure 2.2. BeUanca CF, one of the first corporate aircraft. Manufactured in 1922 by Bellanca Aircraft, Wilmington, Delaware. Souru: John W Underwood, Glendale, CA 23 could run (or long periods of time, and that a monoplane could be as efficient as a biplane. The WB-2 Wright-Dellanca cabin monoplane was flown across the Atlantic in 1927 sixteen days after Lindbergh. The success of the Ryan and Bellanca monoplanes prompted aircraft manufacturers to begin seriOliS design and production of single-engine cabin monoplanes that could accommodate four or more passengers. Cessna Aircraft Company was jllst entering the cabin-monoplane business, as were Travelair, Lockheed, and the Stinson Company of Detroit. Stinson was building a four-place cabin airplane for corporate users a full year before the Lindbergh flight. The Stinson airplane embodied several innovations designed to appeal to air-minded executives. I Transport.1tion of corporate personnel actually began with the introduction of the single-engine cahin airplane. Some of the early users of single-engine cabin airplanes were: the Texas Oil Company, which based single-engine cabin Spartan Executives at its regional offices for salesmen use; Wallace Beery, the movie actor, who owned a single-engine cabin DCA Howard; and Phillips Petroleum. In the 19305. oil companies were 24 Part One: Role, Development, and Function. Figure 2.3. Cessna Bobcat, 1939. Manufactured by Cessna Aircraft Company before World War II as a twin-engine corporate airplane. A few were purchased by corporations and individuals; then the plane went into Army Air Force service as the UC-78. Source: Cessna Aircraft Company the main lIsers of airplanes because the companies required transportation to places that were virtually inaccessible by routinely available means. Some of the aircraft used in the thirties were Stinsons. Cessnas, Travcrlairs, and Lockheeds. For twin-engine safety reasons and the requirement for more power, aircraft companies in the early 1930s, such...