Alexander Aircraft Company

The Alexander Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer established in Colorado in 1925 as an aviation offshoot of the Alexander Film Company. The film business used aircraft in connection with advertising, and J. Don Alexander concluded that owning and producing airplanes could expand the company's commercial possibilities. When established manufacturers declined to quote on a proposed order for 50 aircraft, Alexander pursued production independently, creating a company that would become one of Colorado's most prominent aviation enterprises during the 1920s. The new operation was based in Englewood, near Denver. Justin McInaney was sent to Marshall, Missouri, to purchase an aircraft and learn to fly. He acquired a Swallow airplane for $2,300 and returned to Colorado after a difficult flight involving multiple forced landings. McInaney subsequently trained other pilots, among them Jack Frye, who later became president of Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA), and Al Mooney, who went on to become a major aircraft designer and the founder of Mooney Aircraft. Flight training, aircraft construction, and promotional aviation formed part of the company's early development. Alexander expanded rapidly. Its improvised Englewood factory struggled to keep pace with demand, and production reportedly reached as many as eight aircraft per day before the onset of the Great Depression. During a short period in 1928 and 1929, the company was described as the world's largest aircraft manufacturer, and Colorado briefly led the world in aircraft production. The expansion was accompanied by serious safety and regulatory problems. The Englewood plant operated in a small-town environment with limited enforcement of building and fire requirements, while company directors considered relocating as nearby Denver's influence and regulatory reach grew. On April 20, 1928, a catastrophic fire began in a shed where wings were coated with cellulose-nitrate aircraft dope. The facility contained crowded sewing areas, poor ventilation, barred high windows, and inward-opening exits. Eleven workers died in the fire, and many others suffered severe burns. The Alexander brothers and three other company officials were charged with voluntary manslaughter. The manslaughter allegations were dropped after guilty pleas to safety-related offenses, including inadequate escape provisions, improperly opening doors, deficient ventilation, and inadequate sanitation. The officials received fines totaling $1,000 and suspended 90-day jail sentences. Following the fire, the Arapahoe County sheriff closed the Englewood factory. The company moved its operations rapidly to facilities under construction near Colorado Springs. By 1931, it had an established plant in the Pikeview and Roswell area of El Paso County, west of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and U.S. Route 85. The relocation preserved the manufacturing business, but the company remained vulnerable to the economic collapse of the early 1930s. Alexander's most ambitious engineering project was the Bullet, an advanced aircraft with a low wing and retractable landing gear. The design anticipated features that later became standard in high-performance aircraft. Several prototypes crashed during testing after government officials required flight testing involving spins, despite the aircraft's design being intended to resist or prevent spinning. The Bullet was eventually certificated and gained recognition in racing and civil aviation, but development losses contributed to the company's financial deterioration. The company entered bankruptcy in August 1932 during the Great Depression and ceased to exist as an independent aircraft manufacturer. In April 1937, its assets or remaining business were acquired by Aircraft Mechanics Inc., a company founded by W. F. Theis and Proctor W. Nichols. The successor operation later produced components for Douglas Aircraft during World War II, as well as ejection sea…

Alexander Aircraft Company emerged from the Alexander Film Company, a Colorado business involved in film advertising. J. Don Alexander believed that aircraft could make the advertising operation more effective and initially sought to buy a large quantity of airplanes from established manufacturers. When those manufacturers dismissed his proposed order, he decided to build aircraft himself and organized a separate aircraft company in Englewood, Colorado, in 1925. Justin McInaney played an important role in the company's early aviation activities. He traveled to Marshall, Missouri, bought a Swallow aircraft for $2,300, and learned to fly under Ben O. Howard, who later became known as an aircraft racer and test pilot. McInaney flew the aircraft back to Denver after a difficult journey and then taught others to fly. His students included Jack Frye, later a TWA president, and Al Mooney, who became an influential aircraft designer and eventually founded Mooney Aircraft. The Alexander company expanded quickly, combining aircraft manufacturing with pilot training and aviation promotion. Its Englewood factory was largely improvised and could not easily accommodate increasing demand. Production reportedly rose to eight aircraft per day immediately before the Depression. Between approximately 1928 and 1929, Alexander was briefly described as the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world. Colorado consequently became an important center of aircraft production for a short period. Rapid growth exposed the company to major safety and regulatory weaknesses. The Englewood facility operated in a small town where enforcement of fire and construction requirements was comparatively limited. Company directors considered moving to another city and used the possibility of relocation in negotiations with local authorities. On April 20, 1928, a fire began in a building where wings were coated with highly flammable cellulose-nitrate dope. Workers sewing fabric were crowded into a rear room, the windows were high and barred, ventilation was poor, and the exits opened inward. Fire and explosions trapped or impeded workers, killing eleven and severely burning many others. The Alexander brothers and three other officials faced voluntary-manslaughter charges. The manslaughter charge was withdrawn after the defendants pleaded guilty to safety violations involving inadequate escape routes, inward-opening doors, ventilation, and sanitation. The combined fine was $1,000, accompanied by suspended 90-day jail sentences. The county sheriff closed the Englewood factory, forcing the company to move rapidly to facilities being built near Colorado Springs. By 1931, Alexander operated a manufacturing plant in the Pikeview and Roswell area of El Paso County, west of the Santa Fe Railway and U.S. Route 85. The company also pursued the Bullet, a technically ambitious aircraft featuring a low wing and retractable landing gear. The design was ahead of many contemporary light aircraft and anticipated the configuration of later high-performance airplanes. Several aircraft were lost during testing after government requirements subjected the supposedly unspinnable design to tail-spin testing. The Bullet was eventually certificated and became known in racing and civil aviation, but its development imposed losses that the company could not absorb. Alexander filed for bankruptcy in August 1932. In April 1937, Aircraft Mechanics Inc., founded by W. F. Theis and Proctor W. Nichols, acquired the business or its remaining assets. The successor organization later manufactured Douglas Aircraft components during World War II and produced ejection seats for the U.S. Air Force and crew seats for the Space Shuttle program. Those later contracts extended the industrial legacy of the Colorado operation, although they should not be confused with the independent Alexander Aircraft Company itself. The original company's importance lies in its short-lived production peak, its influence on Colorado aviation, the careers it helped launch, and the Bullet's place in the development of advanced light-aircraft design.

1. 1937Acquisition by Aircraft Mechanics Inc.

   Aircraft Mechanics Inc. acquired the Alexander operation or its remaining assets in April.

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2. 1932Bankruptcy

   The company entered bankruptcy in August as the Great Depression and losses connected with the Bullet program weakened the business.

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3. 1931El Paso County manufacturing plant established

   Alexander had an established plant in the Pikeview and Roswell area west of the Santa Fe Railway and U.S. Route 85.

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4. 1928Peak expansion and Englewood factory disaster

   The company reached a reported production peak and briefly ranked among the world's largest aircraft manufacturers. A catastrophic fire at the Englewood plant killed eleven workers and led to the facility's closure.

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5. 1928Operations move to Colorado Springs

   Following the fire and sheriff-ordered closure, the company transferred production to facilities being built near Colorado Springs.

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6. 1925Company established in Englewood, Colorado

   J. Don Alexander formed the aircraft company as an offshoot of the Alexander Film Company and began developing aircraft production and aviation activities.

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Aircraft manufacturer specializing in light aircraft and advanced civil-aircraft designs during the interwar period.

• Alexander EaglerockLight aircraft

  The Eaglerock was one of the aircraft associated with Alexander's interwar production. It represents the company's principal light-aircraft business during its rapid expansion in Colorado. Surviving examples and historical records place the type within the company's civil aviation and aircraft-manufacturing legacy.

• Alexander BulletAdvanced light aircraft

  The Bullet was Alexander's most ambitious aircraft design. Its low-wing layout and retractable landing gear were advanced for the period and foreshadowed features that later became common in high-performance aircraft. Testing produced several crashes after government-required spin testing, but the aircraft was eventually certificated and became known in racing and civil aviation. Development losses contributed to the company's financial collapse.

• 1932Bankruptcy and end of independent operationsOther

  The Great Depression reduced the market for aircraft, while the Bullet program imposed losses on the company.

  What changed. Alexander filed for bankruptcy in August 1932.

  Aftermath. The business was later acquired by Aircraft Mechanics Inc. in April 1937, ending Alexander's existence as an independent aircraft manufacturer.

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• 1930Development of the Bullet aircraftProduct launch

  Alexander sought to develop a technologically advanced aircraft as competition intensified in civil aviation.

  What changed. The company developed the low-wing, retractable-gear Bullet and subjected it to certification and flight testing.

  Aftermath. The design was eventually certificated and recognized in racing and civil aviation, but testing losses and development costs contributed to the company's collapse.

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• 1928Relocation after the Englewood plant closureStrategy

  The county sheriff closed the Englewood factory after the fatal fire.

  What changed. The company moved its operations overnight to new facilities under construction near Colorado Springs.

  Aftermath. Production continued in Colorado, and a more established El Paso County plant was operating by 1931.

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• 1925Build aircraft rather than purchase themStrategy

  Established aircraft manufacturers declined to quote on J. Don Alexander's proposed order for 50 airplanes, reportedly treating the request as unrealistic.

  What changed. Alexander created an aircraft-manufacturing operation in Englewood as an offshoot of the film company.

  Aftermath. The decision produced a rapidly expanding Colorado aircraft business and helped establish the company's short period of global production prominence.

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• 1928Englewood factory fire and worker deathsControversy

  A fire in the wing-doping shed killed eleven workers and injured many others. Investigations and criminal proceedings highlighted inadequate exits, inward-opening doors, poor ventilation, and deficient sanitation. Company officials entered guilty pleas to safety-related offenses and received fines and suspended sentences.

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• 1937Aircraft Mechanics Inc. acquires Alexander business

  Aircraft Mechanics Inc., founded by W. F. Theis and Proctor W. Nichols, acquired the Alexander operation or its remaining assets in April 1937.

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• 1932Alexander files for bankruptcy

  The company entered bankruptcy in August 1932 as the Great Depression and losses associated with the Bullet program undermined its business.

  Bankruptcy
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• 1928Alexander reaches reported peak aircraft output

  The company briefly became one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, with production reported at as many as eight aircraft per day before the Depression.

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• 1928Company relocates to Colorado Springs after plant closure

  After the Englewood facility was closed by the county sheriff following the fire, Alexander moved overnight to new facilities being built near Colorado Springs.

  OtherLeadership change
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• 1925Alexander Aircraft Company founded in Colorado

  J. Don Alexander established an aircraft-manufacturing operation in Colorado after deciding to produce aircraft for the Alexander Film Company's advertising activities.

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1. Alexander Aircraft Company