Menasco Motors Company: Difference between revisions

Albert S. (Al) Menasco organized the Menasco Motors Company in 1926 to convert World War I surplus Salmson Z-9 water-cooled nine-cylinder radials into air-cooled engines for private use. His association with John Northrup and his flying wing project in the late twenties convinced him of the need for a new configuration of aircraft engine: an inverted in-line air cooled layout that would have the propeller shaft on top for better ground clearance and improved pilot vision.

In 1929, Menasco designed his own engine, the 4-A, the first of what was to become Menasco's main product line, the inverted, in-line engine. Menasco designed and built a variety of four and six cylinder inverted air-cooled aircraft engines, some with supercharging. During World War II, Menasco manufactured aircraft landing gear for Lockheed. After the war, aircraft landing gear became its main product.

Menasco engines

The best-known Menasco engines are the air-cooled, inverted inline four- and six-cylinder engine series known as the Pirate and Buccaneer, respectively. Al Menasco was deeply involved with air racing and his engines were popular with racers who needed a small displacement engine. None of the early supercharged engines were production designs with ATC ratings. One of the less obvious benefits Menasco offered was his willingness to build custom engine combinations to fit special airplanes for reasonable prices.

An important advantage of owning a Menasco engine was Al's appreciation of the economics of using off the shelf interchangeable parts whenever possible. This company was the only supplier of inverted in-line engines in the early thirties. They had reasonably high power, and a ready availability of complete engines and repair parts.

Production of certified engines did not begin until 1936 with the C4S(220-230 hp) and B6S(290 hp) engines with the help of Art Chester, who was hired by Menasco for research and development. Chester had a reputation for getting the most horses out his four-Cylinder Menasco and keeping it reliable at the same time.

A new engine was introduced in 1937: the six-cylinder C6S-4 model, rated at 400 hp at 3300 rpm and 70 in of manifold pressure. It was the first Menasco that really had the power potential to win the Thompson Trophy outright. The first prototype went to Rudy Kling for his new Folkerts SK-3 racer in early 1937. In 1938 the commercial version of the C6S-4 was ATC certified at 260 hp.

Engine list

Menasco-Salmson B-2 (converted Salmson 9 Z for Stearman C3H)

Menasco A-4 Pirate (also listed as Menasco 4A)

Menasco B-4 Pirate

Menasco C-4 Pirate (Military designation L-365)

Menasco Pirate C-4S

Menasco D-4 Pirate

Menasco D-4-87 Super Pirate

Menasco M-50 Pirate

Menasco A6 Buccaneer

Menasco B6 Buccaneer

Menasco C6 Buccaneer

Menasco C6S Super Buccaneer

Menasco D6 Super Buccaneer

Menasco retires

Al Menasco left the company in 1938. Menasco opened a car dealership, tried his hand at grape cultivation and winemaking, and was sought out for advice by aviators and engine manufacturers for the rest of his life, which ended in 1988.

Aircraft Landing Gear

During World War II, Lockheed Aircraft Company sub-contracted Menasco Motors Company to designing and manufacture landing gear assemblies for it's P-38 fighter aircraft. These landing gear assemblies proved to be rugged and reliable, leading to more contracts during World War II.

Although the firm built thousands of engines for a variety of training aircraft during World War II, it did not resume engine manufacturing or development after the war, instead it concentrating on the development of its landing gear business.

In 1945 Menasco Motor Company changed its name to Menasco Manufacturing Company to better describe the company's business, which was transitioning from aircraft engines to development and manufacturing aircraft landing gear.

Menasco landing gear became the industry standard as its reputation for quality was acknowledged across the aircraft industry. Boeing, Douglas, Convair, Martin, McDonnel, Republic, North American and many other aircraft manufacturers joined Lockheed as Menasco customers.

Into space

Menasco built the landing gear that allowed the space shuttle to gently touch down on a runway. (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/05/business/la-fi-shuttle-legacy-20110705/2)

Mergers

Malabar Machine Company

Malabar Machine Company was started in 1935 by Mr. E.P. “Ed” Grime (pronounced Grim) as a machine shop for manufacturing items to customer drawings. Malabar’s primary business was aircraft jacks, including axle jacks for changing aircraft wheels and tires.

Menasco Manufacturing Company acquired Malabar in 1945, and relocated it to its Burbank, California plant to operate as the “Malabar Division” of Menasco. Malabar’s sales efforts included both domestic and international airlines and airframe manufacturers.

Malabar continues to manufacture aircraft jack products, and offers a line of aircraft maintenance and support equipment.

Howmet

In 1970 Menasco, a corporation with manufacturing plants in Burbank, California, and Fort Worth, Texas, purchased two California plants from Howmet, in Montebello and Pomona, and took over Howmet's contracts and manufacturing operations for the production of aircraft landing gear. Because the Montebello plant was operating at a substantial loss, Menasco decided to close the plant.

Colt Industries

Colt bought Menasco, which makes aircraft landing gear, in 1977. (www.cpcs.umb.edu/lrc/documents/12_1980_01_24_p13.pdf )

Colt Changes Name to Coltec

Colt Industries sold its firearms business, a divestiture that led it to change its name to Coltec Industries in an effort to emphasize its role as a producer of aerospace, automotive and industrial products.(http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/04/business/colt-changes-name-to-coltec.html)

Coltec is a manufacturer of landing gear systems, engine fuel controls, turbine blades, fuel injectors, nozzles and related components for commercial and military aircraft, and also produces high-horsepower diesel engines for naval ships and diesel, gas and dual-fuel engines for electric power plants. The divisions, principal products and principal markets of the Aerospace/Government segment are as follows:

         DIVISIONS       PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS             PRINCIPAL MARKETS

---

-------------------------------- ----------------------

Menasco Aircraft landing gear systems Commercial and military

                         and components, flight         aircraft manufacturers
                         control actuation systems
                         and other aircraft components

Chandler Evans Control Aircraft fuel pumps and Aircraft engine Systems control systems manufacturers

Walbar Blades, vanes and discs for Aircraft engine jet engines manufacturers

Delavan Gas Turbine Fuel injectors, spraybars and Aircraft engine Products other components for gas manufacturers

                         turbine engines   

Lewis Engineering Cockpit instrumentation and Commercial and military

                         sensors                        aircraft and engine
                                                        manufacturers

Fairbanks Morse Engine Large engines powered by U.S. Navy, electric diesel fuel or natural gas utilities (http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.bvz.htm)

The end

Coltec Industries Inc. closed its aircraft landing gear manufacturing plant in Burbank, Calif., and consolidate production of landing gear systems at its Menasco Aerosystems facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and its Menasco Aerospace Ltd. facility in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The shutdown of the Burbank manufacturing plant was in the 1994 first quarter.

Coltec Industries, was acquired by Goodrich Aerospace in 1999. BFGoodrich has taken over Coltec Industries in a $2.2 billion merger, creating a company with interests in aerospace, speciality chemicals and industrial products. It is the second major aerospace acquisition of the year for BFGoodrich. after approval by shareholders and anti-trust regulators. The merged company will move to Coltec's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. BFGoodrich is based at Richfield, Ohio. (http://business.highbeam.com/411058/article-1G1-53361531/bfgoodrich-takes-control-coltec-industries)