Manufacturer

Smith, A J

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AJ Smith (Andrew James Smith) grew up in Tecumseh, Michigan graduating from Tecumseh High School in 1942. After high school, he worked for NACA (now NASA) at Langley Field, Virginia. He then served in the Navy during WW II flying Corsairs off aircraft carriers for two years in the Atlantic Theater of Operations. He attended the University of Michigan from 1946 to 1951 earning a degree in architectural engineering.

AJ Smith (Andrew James Smith) began soaring in the 1950s with his friend Dick Schreder in the Adrian, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio area. He quickly focused on competition soaring and proceeded to modify each of his sailplanes for enhanced performance, beginning with the LO-150 and continuing through the Sisu 1A, ASW 12 and Glasfluegel 604.

He won the Open Class Nationals flying these sailplanes in 1961, 1967, 1971 and 1978. AJ represented the USA on four international teams: England 1965, Poland 1968, Marfa, Texas 1970 and Yugoslavia in 1972. In the 1968 contest in Poland (flying a borrowed Elfe S-3 in the Standard Class), AJ became only the second American to win a World Gliding Championship.

AJ was a very successful architect in the Detroit area, owning his own major firm (Smith and Gardner) that designed many award-winning structures from airport terminals to major office complexes across the United States.

AJ’s artistic flare from his architecture background, combined with his engineering knowledge of aerodynamics, enabled him to design an extremely efficient racing airplane in the early 1980s which rocked the racing world of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The airplane, AJ-2, was designed to compete in a new EAA sponsored efficiency race, the Oshkosh 500. AJ competed successfully, winning seven years in a row. On August 6, 1982 he flew the AJ-2 to a 500 km closed course speed record – 253.3 mph (407.7 km).

AJ’s intense competition personality made him a controversial figure dominated by an intensity and extreme will to win.

AJ served the soaring community as an SSA Director and an NSM Trustee. Not only did he fly National and World Competitions, he was also a Smirnoff Derby competitor. He won the FAI Challenge Cup in 1968 and was awarded the Louis Bleriot Medal in 1982. He received the SSA Exceptional Achievement Award in 1970 and gave the Barnaby Lecture in 1975. He won the du Pont Trophy in 1961, 1967, 1971, 1978 and the Stroukoff Trophy in 1967, 1971, 1976, 1978. He earned Silver #283 (1957), Gold #140 (1962) and Diamond #446, Intl #2688 (1979).

AJ used his artistic talent to design the medallion for the 1970 World Contest in Marfa, Texas. Which was made in both silver and bronze and two sizes. He told a long time wearer of this medallion that he was pleased with the weathering effect due to time and usage.

Andrew Smith passed away in 2004.

Smith, Arthur L

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1910:
Arthur L Smith,
Ft Wayne IN.
USA

San Francisco CA.
USA

From books and magazine articles Art learned about aircraft construction, designs, and patents. He believed he could build a plane that would fly better than the Wright airplane, and as he worked on his design, he was careful to avoid infringing on their patents. It took him and a friend six months to build the plane

Smith also previously built a “gasless air-ship,” according to 1909 Jane’s.

Sloane, Douglas

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Douglas Sloane (1890-1917) was killed in an RE8 of 69 (Australian) Sqn RFC headed for France on August 21, 1917. With it was 2AM Sloane (observer/gunner), piloted by 2nd Lt FG Shapira. Having some engine trouble, they landed to have it rectified. This was done and after lunch they set off again. The plane reached about 600 feet when the nose suddenly dropped and it went into a spin from which it never recovered. Shapira and Sloane were the first active service casualties of the squadron.

Sloane Aircraft Company Inc

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1913: (John Eyre) Sloan Aeroplane Co Inc,
Company funded by Thomas A Edison.
1733 Broadway,
New York NY.
USA

In 1913 Déperdussin were manufactured under US license.

Built a military biplane with unusual back-swept wings. Believed to have built aircraft under subcontract for the U.S. government.

1916: Sloan Aero Corp

Sloan Aircraft Co,
Bound Brook NJ.
USA

On 12 May 1916, Sloane Aeroplane Co. was taken over involuntarily by the newly-formed Standard Aero Corp., which had possession of a majority of Sloane Aeroplane Co.’s shares, and Sloane’s assets became the nucleus of Standard Aero Corp.

The NY Times, 1 May 1917, revealed that John Sloane, who held 26,500 of the 50,000 shares in Sloane Manufacturing Co., had provided his shares as collateral to the Mitsui Co., the large Japanese banking conglomerate, in order to borrow funds from them to finance the manufacture of aeroplanes for the Russian government. Sloane alleged that Mitsui, rather than waiting to be repaid from the profits of this venture, transferred Sloane’s stock shares to Standard Aero Corp., which then stripped the Sloane Co. of its assets and business. Mitsui contended that after Sloane had borrowed funds from Mitsui and been unable to repay the loan, Sloane had adjusted the matter by turning over his stock in payment.