Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company

Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company
Industry Aircraft parts and manufacturing
Fate Sold to Air Associates Inc in 1938.
Predecessor Central Aviation Company
Founded 1921
Defunct 2 May 1938
Headquarters Marshall, Missouri
Key people
Russell Nicholas and Howard Beazley
Number of employees
67 in 1929[1]
Subsidiaries Marshall Flying School

Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of the 1920s and 1930s

Company history

In 1921, the Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company was founded by Russell B. (Penny) Nicholas and Howard Beazley. Nicholas started Central Aviation Company reselling surplus propellers, and in 1924 renamed the company to reflect the addition of Howard Beazley as partner. Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company started as a reseller of surplus Curtiss OX-5 parts through mail-order catalogs, expanding into a wide variety of airplane construction materials.[2][3] Nicholas-Beazley resold 57 Armstrong-Siddeley Genet engines originally sold by Fairchild, becoming the US distributor.[4] Surplus Standard J aircraft were modified and marketed by the company.

In 1927, Walter Barling was hired to engineer the first in-house aircraft, the Barling NB-3. The aircraft was advertised as being able to right itself from any position with the hands off the controls, and spin-proof.[5] In 1929, Tom Kirkup was hired to design the NB-8G. 57 units were completed and sold. At its peak, the company produced as many as one aircraft per day.[6] In 1937, production of aircraft ceased, after the great depression.

The Nicholas-Beazley Aircraft Company Museum resides at Marshall Memorial Municipal Airport in Marshall, Missouri, featuring a NB-3 on display.

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by
Model name First flight Number built Type
NB-3 1928 76 Low wing monoplane
NB-4 1930 8 3 place Low wing monoplane
NB-8G 1931 57 Parasol
Pobjoy Special 1930 1 Racing aircraft

References

  1. Moody's Investors Service, Mergent FIS, Inc. Mergent Moody's industrial manual, Volume 1.
  2. "Nicholas-Beazley Aircraft Company Museum". Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  3. "NB3". Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  4. "Nicholas-Beazley NB-8G". Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  5. Aeronautics: 5. January 1930. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. John David Anderson. The airplane, a history of its technology.

External links

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