Benoist Aircraft

The Benoist Aircraft Company was an early manufacturer of aircraft in the United States. It was formed in 1912 in St Louis, Missouri by Thomas W. Benoist. Over the next five years, it would manufacture some 106 aircraft, including Benoist XIVs that would be used for the first heavier-than-air airline service. The company dissolved with Tom Benoist's accidental death in 1917.

The first airline service was from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa in January 1914. Currently Fantasy of Flight (an aeronautical museum) is building a replica of the aircraft and will re-create the flight in January 2014.

History

In 1908 Benoist founded the Aeronautic Supply Co, the first supplier of aircraft parts.

In 1913, Benoist moved production into the St. Louis Car Company factory run by E. B. Meissner. After Benoist's death, Meissner continued to build aircraft on contract to the government as the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation

Promoter Bill Pickens and Benoist's earlier business partner, publisher E. Percy Noel, sponsored the 1913 "Great Lakes Reliability Tour" to promote the new seaplanes with Benoist aircraft as the featured manufacturer. Benoist originally was going to compete with three aircraft. "The Ark of Duluth" was to be flown by Hugh Robinson, but wrecked prior to the race. Tony Jannus flew a Benoist XIV that suffered a broken propeller, and sunk while being towed to shore.