Two brothers named Wilson and Harvey Doyle were 1925 graduates of Harvard and Yale respectively and left their home town of Charlotte, North Carolina, for Detroit, Michigan. After some time spent working for others and trying to obtain financial backing, they moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, where they came in contact with William Burke of the Vulcan Last Company. Burke backed their plan to build a two-place, tandem, open-cockpit parasol sportplane and the Vulcan Aircraft Division began in 1928 design work in a rented second floor room and construction in a former street car barn in Portsmouth.
Designed by Harvey Doyle, Dwight Huntington, and Jan Pavlecka, the result was the Vulcan “American Moth” NX4243 two-seat lightweight sporting aircraft. Burke chose the name in order to take advantage of the popularity of the British de Havilland “Moth.” A publicity tour of Florida ensued in which a parachutist, Benny Martinez, jumped from the Moth carrying a set of Vulcan golf clubs.
Priced at $2,500, it was later re-powered with 90hp LeBlond.
The plane was a hit, but the relationship among the principles was deteriorating and the Doyle brothers left to start their own Doyle Aircraft Company in Baltimore.
Engine: 60 hp Detroit Air-Cat
Wingspan: 30’9″
Length: 18’0″
Useful load: 540 lb
Max speed: 115 mph
Cruise: 96 mph
Stall: 43 mph
Range: 400 mi
Seats: 2
All Aero 