Dayton-Wright Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Dayton Airplane Company |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | Charles F. Kettering, Edward A. Deeds, Ohio investors |
| Defunct | 1923 |
| Fate | Shut down by parent company General Motors; designs and contracts transferred to Consolidated Aircraft Corporation |
| Successor | Consolidated Aircraft Corporation |
| Headquarters | Dayton, Ohio , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Charles F. Kettering, Edward A. Deeds, Milton C. Baumann, Virginius E. Clark |
| Products | Aircraft (Dayton-Wright FS, DH-4, Messenger, OW.1 Aerial Coupe, RB-1 Racer, FP.2, KT Cabin Cruiser, XPS-1, XB-1A), Kettering Bug missile |
| Owner | General Motors (acquired 1919) |
| Parent | General Motors |
The Dayton-Wright Company came into existence in 1917 during the United States' involvement in World War I, founded by Ohio investors including innovators Charles F. Kettering and Edward A. Deeds from Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO). Although Orville Wright contributed as a consultant and allowed the use of his name, the company's main connection to the Wright brothers was through its occupation of the original Wright Company factory facilities located in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton-Wright operated three manufacturing sites: the principal plant in Moraine (plant 1), another in Miamisburg (plant 2), and the former Wright Company premises in Dayton (plant 3).
Throughout the war period, Dayton-Wright produced close to 3,000 Airco DH-4 aircraft along with 400 Standard SJ-1 trainer planes. Despite its significant output that secured a considerable share of the military aviation market, the company’s reputation was undermined by the DH-4’s derogatory nickname "flaming coffins," a label not substantiated by comparative safety records. Furthermore, Dayton-Wright encountered operational challenges and management controversies that negatively impacted its financial results and hindered expansion during this era.
History
Prior to founding Dayton-Wright, Deeds and Kettering collaborated at DELCO and reinvested profits from automobile self-starter innovations into establishing Dayton Metal Products Company. In 1917, they launched the Dayton Airplane Company, which was reorganized as Dayton-Wright Company a year later in 1918. When Deeds assumed the role of head of procurement for the Aircraft Production Board during WWI, he divested his stake in Dayton-Wright but secured contracts exceeding 4,000 units for DH-4 and Standard SJ-1 aircraft. The awarding of substantial contracts to this relatively inexperienced firm raised allegations of favoritism, which were substantiated by a Senate investigation and further examined by a commission led by future Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. Although findings revealed mismanagement, no formal charges were pursued, enabling the company to maintain operations and produce notable models such as the XPS-1—the first U.S. Army aircraft equipped with retractable landing gear.
By 1919, Dayton-Wright diversified its offerings with variants including a limousine version of the DH-4, a single-seat Messenger model, and a three-seat aircraft. In 1920, designer Milton C. Baumann introduced the RB-1 racer featuring cutting-edge elements like solid balsa wood wings, an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear, and advanced camber-changing flaps—underscoring the company’s commitment to innovation in design.
In 1923, following production of side-by-side TW-3 aircraft powered by surplus Wright E engines (American-made Hispano-Suiza 180 hp), Dayton-Wright was shut down by its parent company General Motors, which had acquired it in 1919. The rights to its designs, along with chief designer Colonel Virginius E. Clark and the TW-3 contract, were transferred to Consolidated Aircraft Corporation based in Buffalo, New York. Subsequent deliveries of TW-3 aircraft were completed under Consolidated’s branding.
This narrative underscores Dayton-Wright’s pivotal contribution to early aviation manufacturing, its reliance on government contracts for growth, and eventual absorption into larger aerospace entities—critical factors for understanding its influence within the market and corporate development.
Aircraft
| Model | Year of First Flight | Number Produced | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton-Wright FS | 1917 | 2 | Trainer biplane with single engine |
| Dayton-Wright DH-4 | 1917 | 3,106 | Bomber biplane powered by a single engine |
| Dayton-Wright Messenger | 1918 | 1 | Reconnaissance biplane with one engine |
| Dayton-Wright OW.1 Aerial Coupe | 1919 | 1 | Touring biplane featuring a single engine |
| Dayton-Wright RB-1 Racer | 1920 | 1 | Monoplane racer with a single engine |
| Dayton-Wright FP.2 | 1921 | 1 | Observation biplane equipped with two engines |
| Dayton-Wright KT Cabin Cruiser | 1921 | 4 | Touring biplane powered by one engine |
| Dayton-Wright XPS-1 | 1923 | 3 | Interceptor fighter monoplane with a single engine |
| Dayton-Wright XB-1A | 40-44 | Fighter biplane driven by a single engine |
Missiles
External links
- Dayton-Wright Company photographic archive at Wright State University
- Congressional Investigation of War Expenditures – includes information on Dayton-Wright Company
- Plane Talk (Dayton-Wright Airplane Company) – available through The Museum of Flight Digital Collections
- Articles with short description
- Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States
- Manufacturing companies based in Ohio
- Defunct companies based in Dayton, Ohio
- American companies established in 1917
- Manufacturing companies established in 1917
- Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1929
- 1917 establishments in Ohio
- 1929 disestablishments in Ohio
- Former General Motors subsidiaries
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- Companies of the United States by year of establishment