 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation |
| Founded | 1924 (1924) |
| Defunct | 1987 (1987) |
| Fate | Bought byLoral Corporation for $640 million in 1987 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Karl Arnstein |
| Parent | Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company |
Goodyear Aerospace Corporation (GAC) was the aerospace and defense subsidiary of theGoodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The company was originally operated as a division within Goodyear as theGoodyear Zeppelin Corporation, part of a joint project withLuftschiffbau Zeppelin, leading to the development ofrigid airships in the United States. As part of the failing relationship between the US and Germany in the era prior toWorld War II, the division was spun off asGoodyear Aircraft Company in 1939. The company opened a new factory in Arizona in 1941 which produced subassemblies, including subcontracted airframe construction and the design of theGoodyear F2G Corsair andGoodyear Duck.
In the post-war era, the division began to diversify and made major contributions to the development ofsynthetic aperture radar. In 1963 they became Goodyear Aerospace, with major product lines in radar, aircraft canopies, bulletproof glass, a number of spacecraft related products, and the uniqueGoodyear Inflatoplane. A 1986hostile takeover attempt of the parent company byJames Goldsmith led to a massive restructuring to build capital to buy Goldsmith out. Goodyear Aerospace was sold toLoral in 1987, which in turn sold their non-satellite operations with the defense products purchased byLockheed Martin in 1993.
Goodyear's aerospace operations began with theGoodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Aeronautics Department. As part of the settling of war reparations with Germany after World War I, the German airship industry was reduced and Zeppelin operations forbidden. In 1924, Goodyear formed a joint interest company with the GermanLuftschiffbau Zeppelin company, of which Goodyear held 2/3 and the Zeppelin company 1/3 interest. ThisGoodyear Zeppelin Corporation was able to use Zeppelin's patents, and a number of German engineers and technical staff moved to the US. The chief engineer of the Zeppelin company,Karl Arnstein, became the "Vice-President of Engineering"[1][2] The company subsequently constructed rigid (zeppelins) and non-rigid (blimps) dirigibles for the US military.Goodyear's giant hangar was constructed where the huge rigid airships for the US Navy, including theUSSAkron andUSSMacon were constructed.[3]
Also due to the lack of business during the depression, the company used its advanced aeronautical knowledge to design and build the high speedComet streamlined train for the route betweenBoston andProvidence. It becameGoodyear Aircraft Corporation[4] on December 5, 1939 in response to a contract from theGlenn L. Martin Company to design and build theempennage section for its new plane, theB-26 Marauder. The army had placed a large order and Goodyear had available manufacturing space at its hugeAirship Dock, inSpringfield Township, Ohio nearAkron. Due to escalating problems in Europe and eventual war with Germany, Goodyear createdGoodyear Aircraft Corporation to handle US military contracts in 1939. The German-US joint venture was dissolved in 1941, and Goodyear's military and commercial airship operations were transferred to the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation.
By 1941, manufacturing facilities were running at full capacity and ground was broken on July 15, 1941 at an additional location just west of Phoenix, Arizona. Goodyear was familiar with the area, and had been operating a large cotton ranch there for decades. Arizona produced more than three million pounds of airframes during World War II.
The Akron plant where FG-1s were built was handed over to the U.S. Navy, which used it as the basis ofNaval Air Station Akron in January 1948.[5]
Goodyear Aircraft Company employeeCarl Wiley inventedSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in 1951. His invention resulted in the creation of the first SAR patent, first digital SAR processor, and development of several different high performance SAR systems used for applications such assurveillance,aerial warfare, andcartography.[6]
The Arizona plant produced a range of defense products in later years, including jet aircraft canopies, bulletproof glass and vehicular armor products, military shelters and missile transporters.
Darrell C. Romick, former Chief Engineer ofTaylorcraft Airplane Company was a close associate ofWernher von Braun. Romick's worked for Goodyear Aircraft in the 1950s produced a rocket and spacecraft design called theGoodyear Meteor Junior concept. The 3-stage rocket had similarities to the much laterSpace Shuttle in that it was crewed, had reusable stages, and its topmost stage was designed to ferry personnel and cargo to a large space station orbiting the Earth.[7] The concept was designed in 1954 to 1958, with a launch date of 1962.[8]
The company becameGoodyear Aerospace Corporation in 1963 to reflect the diverse range of products. In 1987 it was sold toLoral Corporation for $640 million following a massive restructuring of Goodyear prompted by the hostile takeover attempt byJames Goldsmith and theHanson Trust. The Goodyear name disappeared and became the defense systems unit of Loral.
The defense systems unit of Loral was acquired byLockheed Martin in 1993, including intellectual property surrounding the now-retiredGoodyear Blimp designs (GZ-20 and GZ-22). While owning the designs, Lockheed Martin does not manufacture airships.[9]
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-class blimp | 1918 | 10 | Patrol airship |
| D-class blimp | 1920 | 6 | Patrol airship |
| E-class blimp | 1 | Training airship | |
| F-class blimp | 1919 | 1 | Testbed airship |
| G-class blimp | 10 | Training airship | |
| H-class blimp | 2 | Observation airship | |
| J-class blimp | 1922 | 3-4 | Patrol airship |
| K-class blimp | 1938 | 134 | Patrol airship |
| K-1 (airship) | 1 | Experimental blimp | |
| L-class blimp | 22 | Training airship | |
| M-class blimp | 1944 | 4 | Patrol airship |
| N-class blimp | 18 | Patrol airship | |
| Goodyear RS-1 | 1926 | 1 | Military airship |
| Goodyear GZ-19 | 1959 | 3 | Commercial airship |
| Goodyear GZ-20 | 1969 | 3-5 | Commercial airship |
| Loral GZ-22 | 1989 | 1 | Commercial airship |
| Goodyear ZWG | N/A | 0 | Unbuilt airborne early warning airship |
| Goodyear Type AD | 1925 | Sporting airship | |
| Akron-class airship | 1931 | 2 | Patrol rigid airship |
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodyear FG Corsair | 1943 | 4,017 | Single engine carrier based fighter |
| Goodyear Duck | 1944 | 19 | Single engine light flying boat |
| Goodyear F2G Corsair | 1945 | 10 | Single engine carried based fighter |
| Goodyear Inflatoplane | 1956 | 12 | Single engine inflatable aircraft |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 The Story of Goodyear Aircraft |
