Welch Aircraft Company
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founder | Orin Welch |
| Defunct | 1944 |
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Headquarters | , United States |
History
[edit]The Orin Welch Aircraft Company was originally located in Charleston, West Virginia.[1] It purchased the holdings of the Muncie Aerial Company in 1928.[2] In 1929, it inaugurated a new airfield southwest of Anderson, Indiana.[3] Later that year, it would be purchased by the city.[4] Unfortunately, fire destroyed the plant in 1930.[5] As a result, it eventually moved to Bendix Municipal Airport in South Bend, Indiana in 1936.[6] By 1939, it had been renamed Welch Aircraft Industries.[7] It was then acquired by the Aircraft Corporation of La Porte, Indiana in 1940.[8] It was then moved to the Wyoming Valley Airport near Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.[9] By 1941, it was planned for a new factory to be located in Exeter, Pennsylvania.[10] With the beginning of World War II production of aircraft ceased and Orin Welch joined the Air Corps Ferrying Command in March 1942. One year later his airplane disappeared while flying the Hump.[11] Shortly thereafter, a proposal was made to relocate to Scranton, Pennsylvania.[12] However, in 1944 the company went bankrupt.[13]
Aircraft
[edit]| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welch OW-1 | 1927 | 4 | Single engine biplane utility airplane |
| Welch OW-2 | 1928 | 2 | Single engine biplane utility airplane |
| Welch OW-3 | 1928 | 3 | Single engine biplane utility airplane |
| Welch OW-4 | 1929 | 1 | Single engine monoplane utility airplane |
| Welch OW-5 | 1931 | 38 | Single engine monoplane utility airplane |
| Welch OW-6 | 6[14] | Single engine monoplane utility airplane | |
| Welch OW-7 | 8 | Single engine monoplane utility airplane | |
| Welch OW-8 | 2 | Single engine monoplane utility airplane |
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Indiana News in Brief". Indianapolis News. 18 July 1927. p. 19. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Greene, Richard A. (21 September 1928). "Muncie is Ideal Airport City". Muncie Evening Press. p. 22. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Mahoney, Claude A. (1 June 1929). "Anderson Aerial Festival Draws Birdmen". Indianapolis Star. pp. 1, 2, 12. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "City Will Own Airport". Indianapolis News. 13 November 1929. p. 21. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "7 Anderson Planes Destroyed by Fire". Seymour Daily Tribune. 10 November 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Aircraft Factory Moves to City: Welch Firm Locates at Bendix Port". South Bend Tribune. 22 May 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Welch Aircraft Opens School". South Bend Tribune. 11 June 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Welch Aircraft Assets Bought". Wilkes-Barre Record. 16 October 1940. p. 15. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "New Airplane Factory to Locate in Valley". Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. 15 March 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Plan Authority to Get Industries for Area". Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. 28 March 1941. p. 14. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Wright, Ken (8 May 1986). "Flying Fleas Flee Flying Dog". Sheridan News. p. 5. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "Welch Aircraft Firm Will Locate in City". Scranton Tribune. 10 July 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Welch Aircraft Assets Sold". Wilkes-Barre Record. 7 September 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Eckland, K. O. (2 May 2009). "American Airplanes: Wa - We". Aerofiles. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
Bibliography
[edit]- Abel, Drina Welch (1983). The Welch Airplane Story: Airplanes Designed and Manufactured by Orin Moore Welch. Terre Haute, Indiana: Sunshine House.
- Jackson, Stephen T. (6 July 2013). "An Airfield Named Welch". Herald Bulletin. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- Miley, Scott L. (8 May 2016). "Pioneering Flight in Anderson". Herald Bulletin. Retrieved 8 November 2021.