Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer N345JA (Reproduction)
Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer N345JA (Reproduction) on static display at the Sun'n Fun Florida Air Museum at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.
This is a reproduction built by Joe W. Araldi of the original Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer 10403
In 1926, the Arkansas Aircraft Company was founded in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to build small personal airplanes. The company represented the first and one of the few aircraft companies that have existed in Arkansas. The Arkansas Aircraft Company, which later became known as Command-Aire, was nationally known for its aircraft, and it was one of the country’s leading airplane manufacturers in the late 1920s.
Although the company remained in business only from 1926 until 1931, the planes built by the company were well known, especially after the All-America Flying Derby. The 5,541-mile race, which began on July 21, 1930, in Detroit and ended eleven days later, featured overnight control stops in Buffalo, New York; New York City; Cincinnati, Ohio; Little Rock; Houston, Texas; San Angelo, Texas; Douglas, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Ogden, Utah; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Detroit. The race’s purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of long-distance flight by light airplanes. Lee Gehlbach, piloting a specially built Command-Aire plane named the “Little Rocket,” which flew at an average speed of 127.11 m.p.h., won the race. His prize was $15,000, a tremendous amount of money during the Depression. Command-Aire planes were also well known for being one of only two designs to pass the 1929 Guggenheim Safety Trial, in which all existing aircraft designs were test-flown and judged for safety.
Although approximately 300 planes were built by Command-Aire, only a handful remain today.
©Copyright Notice
This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.
Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer N345JA (Reproduction)
Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer N345JA (Reproduction) on static display at the Sun'n Fun Florida Air Museum at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.
This is a reproduction built by Joe W. Araldi of the original Command-Aire MR-1 Little Rocket Racer 10403
In 1926, the Arkansas Aircraft Company was founded in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to build small personal airplanes. The company represented the first and one of the few aircraft companies that have existed in Arkansas. The Arkansas Aircraft Company, which later became known as Command-Aire, was nationally known for its aircraft, and it was one of the country’s leading airplane manufacturers in the late 1920s.
Although the company remained in business only from 1926 until 1931, the planes built by the company were well known, especially after the All-America Flying Derby. The 5,541-mile race, which began on July 21, 1930, in Detroit and ended eleven days later, featured overnight control stops in Buffalo, New York; New York City; Cincinnati, Ohio; Little Rock; Houston, Texas; San Angelo, Texas; Douglas, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Ogden, Utah; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Detroit. The race’s purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of long-distance flight by light airplanes. Lee Gehlbach, piloting a specially built Command-Aire plane named the “Little Rocket,” which flew at an average speed of 127.11 m.p.h., won the race. His prize was $15,000, a tremendous amount of money during the Depression. Command-Aire planes were also well known for being one of only two designs to pass the 1929 Guggenheim Safety Trial, in which all existing aircraft designs were test-flown and judged for safety.
Although approximately 300 planes were built by Command-Aire, only a handful remain today.
©Copyright Notice
This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. They may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.