“Meet me at St. Louis, Louis, Meet me at the Fair.”
This was back in 1904, when St. Louis celebrated her world’s fair, and many a dusty buggy creaked into town laden with wide-eyed human freight. Full many fairs and expositions has St. Louis seen in the quarter century that has passed. Last week with proud fervor St. Louis opened the only U. S. air show of major importance for 1930. And instead of dusty buggies, St. Louis greeted ponderous trimotored transports bringing their loads of laconic salesmen of airplanes, sporty little open ships with private owners or students, conservative cabin jobs with business men, all curious to see what their industry offered for the critical year of 1930.
Resounding was the backslapping, vociferous the conviviality in the Hotel Jefferson, headquarters of the show. The jovial spirits of the air made St. Louis their crossroad. At the new Arena, World’s largest exposition building, was spread out before their dazzled eyes and before the much greater numbers of mere lookers-on, $2,500,000 worth of aeronautical merchandise. In this mass of 87 planes, many engines, instruments, lighting systems, radio devices, novelties, etc., centred the hopes and fears of those who have invested in the aircraft industry’s future.
Sponsor of the show, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce realized the importance of their exhibition, planned much coöperation with the Aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce: to increase private ownership of planes, patronage of air transport routes, use of air mail, to encourage technical development. The vivid spectacle of such groups of clean-limbed, powerful craft bespoke shrewd design and craftsmanship. Under the smooth, suave lacquered surfaces were cunning contrivances to increase safety. Interiors of mighty air yachts in mohair, intricate inlaid woods, carefully wrought metalwork attested the increasing interest of the luxury-loving class.
The show included many more land planes with pontoons available at increased cost, many more amphibians than ever before. Nearly a dozen new planes were unveiled last week, among them a new Waco, Model I10, a smaller, cheaper open biplane with usual rugged Waco construction; a new Ryan Foursome, Wright powered, with adjustable reclining seats. The already famed Lockheed Sirius, proven airworthy by Charles Augustus Lindbergh recently, the Stearman Junior Speedmail, a 156 m. p. h. biplane, are important new planes to employ N. A. C. A. radial motor cowling, which both smooths out the looks of the plane and increases the speed as much as 12%.
Another fast passenger carrier is the recent Fleetster, from Buffalo. It is similar in construction and looks to the Lockheed Vega, has a speed close to 200 m. p. h. N. Y. R. B. A. has ordered six of these and two Lockheeds, all pontoon equipped, to put on their South American air mail and express route, to meet the competition of fast French Latécoère planes of Compagnie Générale Aeropostale (TIME, Feb. 17). The merger of the Stinson Aircraft Corp. with Cord Corp. (Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg) has resulted in radical price reduction of the new Stinson Junior from $10,500 to $5,775. Robert B. (Bob) Snowden Jr., ever-smiling president of Command-Aire, felt extra pride in the exhibit of his ships. Said he, “Command-Aire is the only production airplane which has never killed somebody . . never seriously hurt anybody.”
Great possibilities are expected from the glider sponsors. Clyde V. Cessna, one of the original group which developed the famed Travel Air OXH5 biplane in 1924, and who now produces successful ships of his own design, has appeared with one. Likewise, the Detroit Aircraft Corp. has an elementary trainer, first to be granted Government-approved type certificate.
Perhaps the largest and most comprehensive exhibit of the show was the Curtiss-Wright. It involved 15 planes, ranging from a 21-passenger Condor, powered with two 600 h. p. geared Curtiss Conqueror engines, to a sport Moth, two-place, based on British design, made in the U. S. For the first time, Curtiss displayed its Tanager with slotted wings, bone of contention (TIME, Jan. 6) during the disappointing Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition.
Of the fast ships in the show, Walter Beech’s Travel Air Mystery S is the fastest. This was the ship that brought consternation to the speed merchants of the Army & Navy Air Corps at Cleveland last September, licked the best they had to offer with a comfortable 194 m. p. h. Black-snouted and waspish looking, it is similar to the Lockheed Sirius but smaller and faster with less power (a Wright Whirlwind J-6, 300 h. p.). It has N. A. C. A. cowling, seats one, has a rated top-speed of 235 m. p. h.
The Travel Air Co., one of the largest producers of commercial U. S. aircraft, is the work of Walter H. Beech, onetime instructor and barnstormer, now potent and resourceful executive. During the War he chafed at discipline which kept him at the job of instructing other young flyers. After it was over, he spent two years barnstorming, began to realize the futility of such hand-to-mouth work and cast about for a real job. In 1922 as an employe of the Swallow Airplane Co. he won the national efficiency race. In 1924, with three good years of apprenticeship in that outfit behind him, started the Travel Air Co. at West Wichita, Kan., with four other young fellows, two of whom, Clyde V. Cessna and Lloyd Stearman, now head their own companies. In 1925, Travel Air won the first Ford Reliability tour, and again in 1926. With these feathers in his hat, Beech began to expand into new territory, and to enlarge his factory. Between 1926 and 1929 there has gone on constant increase in factory output, steady research into aerodynamic design. He has fathered the design of six models now in stock production. His chief triumph is the phenomenal speed developed by his Mystery S. Fastest ship in the St. Louis show, it is a good indication of his relation to the industry. In 1929 the Curtiss-Wright merger got under way. Air-wise, the merger enthusiasts sought a good commercial outlet for their products. By absorbing Travel Air, but not allowing it to lose its identity, and making Beech the president of their Sales Corporation, they assured themselves of intramural coöperation with a company that was turning out roughly 25% of all the commercial planes made in the U. S.