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STURTEVANT AVIATION Co
The B.F.
Sturtevant
Co. was best known as the world's largest industrial fan manufacturer. The
founder,
Benjamin Sturtevant
, is the father of the American industry, having built the first commercially
successful blower in 1864.
The B.F.
Sturtevant
Co. of Hyde park, Boston, Mass. was a big engineering firm even before the
advent of the new science of aeronautics. Whilst the first world war was raging
in Europe,
The Sturtevant Aeroplane Co.
(1915-1918) was formed by the parent company to develop military aircraft.
The new company was based at Jamaica Plain Mass.
They produced a number of aircraft for both the army and the navy, in particular the
"Battle" S4 aeroplane of naval type, and the USN bought 12 of
those machines whose inner structure was all metal, a rather innovative
approach for the time applied by Mr. Grover Loening, Sturtevant's chief
designer. The Sturtevant S wasn't one of his best designs... with a velocity of
40 to 73 mph a climbing rate of 4000ft in 12 min. and two gunners enclosed in
little nacelles between the struts it wasn't an elegant nor fast nor agile
aircraft.
Vincent Tocco has produced an excellent website covering all aspects of the B.F. Sturtevant Company on www.sturtevantfan.com
The Sturtevant Aeroplane Co. (1915-1918), a subsidiary of the B.F.Sturtevant
Co.,built 3 models (possibly more according to Aerofiles below):
(a) Model A Battleplane (1915), an experimental fighter; (1 built)
No pictures available
(b) Model B seaplanes (1916) (2 built)
(c) Model S planes (1916-1917). (17 built)
They only made sales on the later model, (12) Navy, (4) Army and (1) Rhode
Island Militia. They were the first metal fuselage planes to be used by the
military and are recognised as such by the
NASA aviation timeline
.
The 'official' data on the Sturtevant Aeroplane Co is given in
aerofiles listing
as follows:
Sturtevant
(B F) Sturtevant Blower Works. 1914: B F Sturtevant Co, Hyde Park, Boston. 1915:
Sturtevant Aeroplane Co (with Eugene Foss, Grover Loening, et al), Jamaica
Plain MA.
P-L Tractor
1915 = 2pOB; Engine 80hp 6-cyl Sturtevant.
Trainer
1916 = Army. 2pOB; 135hp Sturtevant 5; span: 38'0" length: 25'0".
Monocoque fuselage. POP: 5 [AS211/215]; s/ns [AS216/228] issued but aircraft
never built.
S
1916 = No data. Engine 150hp Sturtevant 5A; Span 48' 7.5". POP: 2 to USAS
[AS110/111]
(4 more cancelled but issued s/ns [AS64/67]) and 12 to USN [A76/81, A128/133].
S-4 Battleplane
1916 = Army. 3pOB; Engine 150hp Sturtevant 5A; span: 50'0" (>48'0") length:
28'0" (>29'0").
Designer Grover Loening.
Steel frame; twin-gun turrets mounted on each lower wing. POP: 4 [Seaplanes??
AS126/127, AS214/215].
Seaplane
1916 = 2pOBF. POP: 12.
B
1917 = Army. OB; Engine Sturtevant 5A.
Four aircraft were ordered by the Army on Nov 8, 1916, as [AS277/280].
The first one flew the first time on March 20, 1917, but crashed on that
flight; the remaining three were then cancelled.
Steel Trainer
1918 = Army. 2pOB. POP: 1 [AS40007].
AERO ENGINES
The company also developed and produced a number of aero engines which are
described separately on the following page:
E-Mail Queries and any further information to -
my_email
Website Comments, etc to -
my_email
Last Update 1st February 2010
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