Category: Aviation Industry

Republic Aviation was a great company. The Seversky Aircraft Company was founded in 1931 and reorganized on October 13, 1939, to become Republic Aviation. In July 1965 Fairchild acquired Republic Aviation and it became a division of Fairchild Hiller in September 1965. In 1981 on the 50^th Anniversary employees were given a plastic Frisbee to commemorate this event.  Republic Aviation’s plant was in Farmingdale, Long Island it produced quite a few famous aircraft.

Republic Aviation (then Fairchild Republic) had nine (9) aircraft with the word ‘Thunder’ in their names – as follows:

• Thunderbolt – P-47 (the 1^st one – the “Jug”)
• Thunderjet – F-84 (straight wings)
• Thunderstreak – F-84F (swept wings)
• Thunderflash – RF-84F (Photo Reconnaissance)
• “Thunderscreech” (nickname) – XF-84H – it was developed from theF-84F. Its propeller could spin at 3,000rpm due to its turboprop engine and the noise levels it produced would cause physical pain. The tips of the propeller blades reached Mach 1.18.
• Thunderceptor – XF-91
• Thunderwarrior – XF-103
• Thunderchief – F-105 (the “Thud”)
• Thunderbolt II – A-10 (the 2^nd one – the “Warthog”)

World War II Era

Republic built 15,660 P-47 Thunderbolt’s (affectionately known as the Jug) during WWII. They were known for their durability. P-47’s were flown in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.

Korean War Era

The F-84 Thunderjet was flown with distinction during the Korean War. The earlier models had straight wings, and the later models had swept wings.

Vietnam War Era

F-105 Thunderchief (it was affectionately known as the Thud). The F-105 distinguished itself during the Vietnam War and it was also known for its durability. The F-105F two-seat Thud were used in the Wild Weasel role to find and destroy SAM sites.

Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria

A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were deployed to all the above places.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is known as and called the Warthog. It has a 30mm GAU-8 Avenger cannon. This cannon (like a gatling gun) surely ruins the bad guy’s day. The A-10 first flew on May 10^th, 1972. Over the years there have been many attempts to retire the A-10 and they have all failed. In June 2017 it was announced that the A-10 will be kept in the USAF inventory indefinitely.

In 1981 the USAF needed to replace the aging Cessna T-37 Trainer known as the Tweet – it had been flying since 1957. Fairchild submitted a bid for a trainer which was designated the T-46. It first flew on October 15^th, 1985. The T-46 was the last project of Fairchild Republic Corporation.  Fairchild-Republic folded in 1987 when its parent company Fairchild liquidated it. The plant in Farmingdale, Long Island closed its doors on March 13, 1987, a Friday, Friday the 13^th.

 

 

Pratt & Whitney manufactures aircraft engines. On their famous logo with the Eagle, it says: “Dependable Engines”. In later years the company had the following slogan: “The Eagle means Business”. They have been manufacturing engines (piston and jet) since 1925. The man who started it was Frederick Brant Rentschler. And you thought the company was started by two people named Pratt and Whitney!

 

Well, the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft story is a fairly long and convoluted one. Rentschler founded Wright Aeronautical. Wright Aeronautical was previously Wright-Martin. Wright-Martin was a merger of the Glenn L. Martin Company and the Wright Company which occurred in 1916.  Wright Company was created by Orville and Wilbur Wright. Glenn Martin resigned from Wright-Martin in 1917. The company was renamed Wright Aeronautical in 1919. The Wright “Whirlwind” engine was used on the plane that the famed aviator Charles Lindbergh flew solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927. Then in 1924 Rentschler left Wright Aeronautical with some engineers after a dispute regarding funding for an air-cooled engine which the government requested development of.  So Rentschler headed to Connecticut to Pratt & Whitney which at the time was called the “Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Company”. It was founded in 1860 by Francis A. Pratt and Amos Whitney (a cousin of Eli Whitney). They were located in Hartford, Connecticut.  Pratt & Whitney provided funds, building facilities, and even their name. Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was incorporated in 1925.

 

The following is but a short list of well-known aircraft that have had Pratt & Whitney engines installed on them:

 

B-52 Stratofortress (1952) – the J57

Boeing 707 (1958) – the JT3

SR-71 Blackbird (1964) – the J58

Boeing 747 (1966) – the JT9D

F-15 Eagle (1970) – the F100

Boeing 727 (1980) – the JT8D

Boeing 747 (1987) – the PW4000

Boeing 777 (1989) – the PW4084

F/A-22 Raptor (1991) – the F119

 

Pratt & Whitney Aircraft manufactured 363,610 piston aircraft engines during World War II which was nearly half of all the engines produced.

 

Charles Lindbergh was once employed at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft The desk he used can be seen at the Pratt & Whitney Museum in Hartford, CT.  Connecticut’s economy relies in large part on the Defense Industry and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft is the state’s largest private employer.

 

Over the years Pratt & Whitney Aircraft has made engines that have been installed in a large variety of civil and military aircraft. They have also made engines (both piston and jet) that have been used to generate electrical power on the ground. Their power plants have been installed in U.S. Navy ships. They even in had small helicopter turbine engines installed on Indy and Formula One racing cars. Pratt & Whitney Aircraft also has a division in Canada that was founded in 1928. It makes turboprop engines for small aircraft.

 

In 1929 Rentschler incorporated the company called: “United Aircraft and Transport Company”.  The creation of United Airlines came about from this company. United Aircraft and Transport Company then became United Aircraft Corporation which was comprised of the following four companies: Pratt & Whitney, Vought Aircraft (from Chance Vought – another aviation legend – but this company left in 1954), Sikorsky Aircraft (from famed helicopter inventor Igor Sikorsky), and Hamilton-Standard which makes propellers. Then in 1975 United Aircraft Corporation became the United Technologies Corporation which we know today.  United Technologies Corporation or UTC also has Carrier (air conditioning and refrigeration) and Otis (elevators) as business units.