Shown over-nighting in the hangar while stationed at Pitcairn Field (NAS Willow Grove after after 1942) to undergo testing by the manufacturer. During full aft CG spin testing it entered a flat spin. Test pilot William H. Engle reported that he tried to recover for 25 revolutions then released the ant-spin parachute. The fix included enlargement of the vertical stabilizer and this was done prior to engine cooling tests at NACA Langley in November/December 1941. There the project ended due to U.S. entry into World War II. Collection holder William Engle is the son of Fleetwings test pilot William H. Engle.

This is the one and only example built and it was hoped to attract an order from the U.S. Army. Unfortunately engine cooling problems delayed testing to the point where the USA entry into World War II killed off the project. Here it is undergoing systems checks at Pitcairn Field (NAS Willow Grove after after 1942) which are being conducted by the manufacturer. Power was from a 130 h.p Franklin AC-298, 6-cylinder. NX29033 was registered to Kaiser-Fleetwings and was cancelled in 1965. Collection holder William Engle is the son of Fleetwings test pilot William H. Engle.

Registered in June 1934 to the Evening News Association and operated by The Detroit News. A radio reporter could broadcast from inside the aircraft and there was a camera installed in the fairing on the left wing (visible by the man wearing a trilby hat). The Orion was commandeered in 1942 by the Defense Supplies Corp as UC-85 serial 42-62601. Released in 1944 and restored as NC799W, it was scrapped after an accident in November 1947 at Los Angeles. Photograph taken by William H Engle. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

The Aeronca LW was the prototype of the L-series and originally had a 2-cylinder 40hp Aeronca E-113-C engine, with which it was painfully under-powered. It was replaced by a 5-cylinder 60hp LeBlond 60 engine, as here. Registered as above in 1935 and the first four characters are visible under the wing. Fate unknown. Photograph taken by William H Engle. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

Built by the American Mignet Aircraft Corp (of which no trace can be found) in 1938. Cancelled on 6 August 1948. Photograph taken or acquired by William H Engle who was flying Fleetwings Seabird NC16918 on various cross-country legs in the fall of 1938, so could be taken anywhere. The print is photo-lab date stamped 'SEP 28 1938'. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

Originally known as the Thomas-Morse XO-932 and first flown on 4 May 1931, it was unsuccessfully entered in a U.S. Army competition for a light observation aircraft designated Y1O-41. Engine is a 600 hp Wright GV-1570 water cooled V12. Lacking military orders it was remodeled by Consolidated Acft. for restricted use as a company transport and designated as Model 23. Here it has stopped off en route Buffalo/NY to San Diego/CA, still in Army drab paint. It was exported as XA-DBX in 1936. Photograph taken by William H Engle. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

G & A Aircraft designed the Model 45 series of rotor-craft for the U.S. Army who designated them XR-9, -9A & -9B. These were unsuccessful but the Firestone Rubber Company bought G & A in 1943 with the intention of producing a civil version. This resulted in the Firestone Aircraft Company Model 45D shown here. It was demonstrated at the 1946 Cleveland National Races but the hoped for orders did not materialize.

Built in 1934 and registered NR2111 on 28 August 1935 in time for the Bendix Intercontinental Race, in which it placed 3rd. Bought by Continental Airlines on 24 July 1942 for use as an executive aircraft. Sold once more to the U.S. Army Engineers on 26 October 1942 as a support aircraft on the wartime Canol oil pipeline construction project. Final fate unknown. The print has a photo-lab date stamp of 'Sep 11 1935' and was taken by William H Engle. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

Photo taken at Silver Star Airport, PA (renamed Old Star Airport in 1945). WPEN was a radio station located at the time in Philadelphia. Photograph taken by William H Engle who later started a pilot school at this location. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

Photo data acquired from multiple sources. It can be established that this Model M was built during 1932 to 1933 and is here attending the Air Races in 1934. The print has a photo-lab date stamp of 'Sep 19 1934'. It later carried operator titles from '(illegible) Scientific Service Inc' and was named Silver Star. Photograph taken by William H Engle. Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.

Photograph taken by William H Engle who later became Chief Test Pilot for the Fleetwing Sophomore (Photo ID: 681278). Collection holder William Engle is the son of the photographer.