Legacy in the Sky

Marples Gears is very proud to have been around since 1942, but did you know that we have a history that predates our company’s founding? Marples Gears has a rich history in the aviation industry that extends before it’s founding in 1942. It starts with the acquisition of the assets from a company named AeroEngineering Company by one James Phillips II. Mr. Phillips, Marples Gears’ current owner’s grandfather. With the acquisition of these assets Phillips Aviation, continued the development of the Aeroneer. Through research Marples has outlined the history of this aircraft.

“Aero Engineering was a development company [originally] responsible for the design, engineering and construction of the Aeroneer.” The Aeroneer was designed to give “the average private pilots the experience of operating a truly modern aircraft” of its time. It boasted “exceptional stability in the air, low landing speed, and ample power, combined with rugged construction and modern design” in its advertisements. The engineers and construction staff of the original project were Dr. Arthur L. Klein, W.C. Rockefeller, Malte Swensson, Edward G. Ward, Carlos Wood and Milford Childers. Several of the staff were connected with the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. The first three of these individuals were also the directors of Aero Engineering Corp. While the Aeroneer was originally developed to be a civilian sport plane after the great depression ended some redesigned occured in order to compete for the U.S. Army Air Corps’ contract for smaller trainer aircraft in anticipation of World War II. The original design was developed by a team of designer-pilots in Southern California. “The Aeroneer brought heavy-plane construction to the small two-seater with it metal-skinning of [the wings and tails]” (Bowers) Because of financial woes, Phillips Aviation took over the aircraft and moved the aircraft’s development to the Metropolitan AIrport in Van Nuys, California on . It took over a year after that in order to be awarded their Approved Type Certificate in October of 1937. After the plane failed to find demand from the private sport plane market. The Phillips Aviation switch focus to winning government contracts. (O’Leary)

The original design boasted its 24 ST Alclad (aluminum alloy) and steffen-skin monocoque design with internally braced, full cantilever wings, tail surfaces and landing gear. Its own marketing stated that “safety, economy and performance, the three most important factors to the private plane buyer, are the accomplished aims of the design, engineering and construction of the Aeroneer.” The Phillips Aviation plane was among several aircraft competing for this contract after a redesign in order to increase the power and make it competitive for the USAAC’s trainer contract. “Two major changes were made. New outer wing panels, which increased the span near four feet, were built, and the Menasco engine was replaced by another inverted air-cooled in-line─the 165 hp six-cylinder Ranger.” (Bowers) Flying Magazine said at the time of the competition that “the Phillips craft that apes big transports with its full-cantilever wing, stressed skin construction and all metal surface.” (Rand) But the Aeroneer was not the only aircraft being developed for this competition, “in Southern California alone…five planemakers boarted possible trainers. They were Ryan in San Diego, Phillips and Timm at Van Nuys, Harlow at Alhambra and Vega (Lockheed) at Burbank.” (Rand) The Aeroneer would later lose the trainer competition seemingly due to side-by-side seating design that made it unique from the other trainers to another metal monocoque, low wing aircraft from Ryan Aeronautical Company. The Ryan would go on to produce over a thousand of their trainer aircrafts while the Aeroneer remains a one-of-one to this day.

After failing to win the contract for Phillips Aviation, the Aeroneer turned to Hollywood where it starred as the focal point for two different films, The House Across the Bay (United Artists, 1940) and Power Dive (Paramount, 1941) and a twelve part series named Sky Raiders (Universal, 1941) after being bought by MGM. The House Across the Bay is a film about an airplane designer who falls for a mobster’s wife, whose husband escape Alcatraz to seek revenge against the two. The film does not feature the Aeroneer specifically in the plot line. Alfred Hitchock filmed the scenes that have the Aeroneer as a favor to the film’s producer Walter Wanger. Power Dive does feature the aircraft in the plot line as the Aeroneer is supposed to be a record-breaking plane. In the film the “McMaster Special”, does break the transcontinental speed record with the pilot Brad Farrellel while the team attempts to make a plastic “geodetic” airship. The Aeroneer did some of the stunt flying that is featured in the film and can be seen in several of the scenes that were filmed at Metropolitan airport in Van Nuys, California. Sky Raiders twelve part serial told a story of a spy trying to capture the Aeroneer and its plans. In the end the patriots defeat the enemy. The twelve part series features a lot of stunt plane work that the Aeroneer did perform for the film. The film of Sky Raiders marked the end of the Aeroneers work as property of MGM studios.

Then following its hollywood stardom, the Aeroneer was purchased by a private collector and was stored in a barn in Arizona where is fell into disrepair. After seeming to fall off the face of the earth for several decades, the current owner found the Aeroneer and is promptly transported the aircraft to have it restored in Minterfield, California. He plans to have it fully restored and fly it to airshows effectively continuing the legacy of this incredible aircraft. The story of how he became the owner of the Aeroneer will be in an article to come, so stay tuned to learn more about the Aeroneer.

1. Uncle Sam Wants a Trainer. Flying Magazine. June 1939. Kurt Rand.
2. The Aero Engineering-Phillips Aeroneer. Yesterday’s Wings. June 1979. Peter Bowers.