Aeromarine Projects and Prototypes

Grey Havoc, Hesham is correct. They have similar profiles, however they are different. The Model 52 is a seaplane and the Model 60 has larger cabin and amphibious gear (most likely used for beaching).
 
A 'Polar Bear' retouched photo by Aeromarine. Possibly in an effort to promote the Arctic flight. Many of the members of the planned flight are in the photograph. However, I have not found any evidence that the Arctic flight ever took place (Note: The last mention of the proposed Polar Bear flight is a 1924 Aeronautical Digest, Vol. 2, article mentioning the upcoming flight. Aeromarine is bought by Barron Collier, changing the name to the Aeromarine Airways Corp. of New Jersey. Under Collier the airline struggles until its last flight on May 1, 1924).
 

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Also, I read a brief newspaper article that mentioned Charles F. Redden, the President of the airline under Collier (he was as well President of Aeromarine Airways under Uppercu) was looking to reinvigorate the airline with a new fleet of airliners. No mention of which aircraft were considered or planned for the airline. Any knowledge of the fleet mix for the 'new' Aeromarine airline? (Note: the proposed 26 Passenger Airliner discussed in April of 1923 by Roland Rohlf was not mentioned).
 
Unknown Aeromarine project. The space in front of the cockpit may be a hopper for the agricultural aircraft (ADA). The man behind the aircraft is Clarence DeGeirs, a pilot for Aeromarine and a pioneer pilot later in life.
 

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The 2 engine Edo "Malolo" is labeled as Edo Model B and the BVKK/EDO Corporation, drawing was dated Dec. 1925. I have not seen the single engine (better known!) Malolo dwg, and can only "assume it was Edo Model "A" with nothing else to go on, here.

I sold the box of BVKK dwgs with lots of hand-drawings on legal paper (those were for both large military planes, and smaller pursuit seaplanes and planes for Aeromarine,) as well as formal crisp original Blueprints from the 1920s.of BOTH EDO and Aeromarine original dwgs, to an avid Edo historian, a Mr. Patterini. At the time, he said, with all his years of research, he had never heard of a two engine Malolo!

Two unfortunate, related stories.
AFTER I had sold the two foot high pile of BVKK's personal archives, I soon AFTER!!!!, found a local shop that could have/would have made full-size clear blueprint copies, for between ONLY $2.50 and $7.50 EACH!, and would have had a set of copies made, had I known.. All these original dwgs and letters had been found in BVKK's long-abandoned cabin, in the remote mountain woods in Vermont, long after he died. I have no idea of how much had already been scavenged and sold elsewhere, before I bought what was left of an ongoing sale, of BVKK's personal archives, on Ebay, years ago.

There was also a number of interesting seaplane and pursuit amphibians from the 1920s, credited to a C. H. Powell in with BVKK's papers, along with numerous leters between them contracting BVKK to work with Powell on an amphibian design with twin floats. and a 1927 BVKK 3-view vblueprint of a twin float amphibian designed by BVKK for Edo. only listed as"experimental."etc . Other blueprints for his interesting version of amphibious landing gear with combined float and wheel and folding landing gear..

The buyer, who had done some admirable work (two articles in Skyways Magazine )on Edo history, had lost much of his sight, by the time he was able to buy these, and has been unable to do further historical research and recording, with them. I do not believe he wishes to correspond with anyone,and cannot use computer, emails or read letters, without difficulty etc.I have phoned him for a few favors from the papers info. He has been kind enough to help, so long as it is something that is very easy for him to handle.

He would be 94 years old in 2015?
Dan Pattarini died April 6, 2015
 
Aeromarine factory in Keyport in 2017, about two blocks from my house. The area has been under constant threat of redevelopment for at least 25 years now and I’m not sure how long any of this will sadly stay standing. The big hanger was disassembled about 10-15 years ago as only the steel superstructure remained. Everything else though is relatively well preserved. The water tower is a local land mark. The historic society had a wing or reproduction of a wing from an Aeromarine aircraft but that was lost in Sandy. The old dirt airfield is overgrown but nothing is on it and it was a popular dirt bike quad destination, lots of ticks though!
 

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Any chance of getting access to the main building or outlying buildings to document the building interior and how its changed? It would be great to match up factory photos to todays pictures.

F-2, I went through the area a few years ago and took some pictures outside. It was on a Sunday and someone was there working on a sportscar in the main building. He couldn't let me in to take pictures, but gave me the card of the gentleman who owns the buildings. Since I was there just for the afternoon I had to move on. I'll find that card and give you their number if your interested in talking to them to see if you can go in.
 
Any chance of getting access to the main building or outlying buildings to document the building interior and how its changed? It would be great to match up factory photos to todays pictures.

F-2, I went through the area a few years ago and took some pictures outside. It was on a Sunday and someone was there working on a sportscar in the main building. He couldn't let me in to take pictures, but gave me the card of the gentleman who owns the buildings. Since I was there just for the afternoon I had to move on. I'll find that card and give you their number if your interested in talking to them to see if you can go in.
Yea give it to me! I’ll give it a shot I always wanted to go inside anyway. My work schedule is wonky so it might be a little while but I’ll make it happy if their cool with it.

it’s been many many different things over the years and I know quite a few people who worked there later on. I think it was textile at one point.
 
Unknown photo of Aeromarine may be the first Aeromarine design, which was known as the "Flying Boat" of 1914. This design's drawing was published with the announcement of the Aeromarine Plane & Motor Company's creation in 1914 and its exclusive rights to the Boland patents. The aircraft was to have jibs for flight control. The design may have originated with the Boland Airplane and Motor Company and became an Aeromarine model when the Boland concern was purchased.
Thanks Dynoman. How do I get access to an unmarked photo for publishing purposes?
 
The photo was from Aeromarine historian Ted Koch's collection. He wrote for Skyways- Journal of the Airplane 1920-1940 Magazine. I do not have publishing rights to his his pictures they were scanned and given to me 10-12 years ago. When I get home I can PM you the last contact information that I have.
 
Photo from the New York Heritage archive identified as part of the Clarence de Giers collection. De Giers was a test pilot for the Aeromarine Plane & Motor Co. The hull has what appears to be an Aeromarine tip float in front that provides some scale. It's hull is unusual as there are no chines and the nose section is not complete or under repair. It looks as though it may have an NC-4 type configuration. Any ideas what this hull went to?
Aeromarine Unknown Hull.png
 
Photo from the New York Heritage archive identified as part of the Clarence de Giers collection.
Could this be the Aeromarine Model 20? Any thoughts? The Model 20 was supposed to be a two or four seat pusher propeller design developed in 1918 and designed by Charles Willard.
 
I'm curious if the Vought VE-10 (VE-15 militarized version which was not built) was the aircraft from above (#174). Vought was in Astoria, NY and Long Island about the same time as the photo. The aircraft underwent testing with the Navy. It was a remarkable seaplane as it handled very well, flew at land airplane speeds, and was aerobatic (almost unheard of for a seaplane at the time). Possibly Aeromarine was involved in the tests or received the aircraft for a design study or part of an acquisition?
 

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The cabin of the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Co.'s 'Havana - Porto Rico' Airliner. The design was in development with scheduled service beginning in the summer of 1923. However, after the loss of the Columbus in January 1923 and the disappearance at sea of pilot's Tibbs and Thomas, in February 1923, the airlines financial future was in turmoil. None of the lost aircraft (including the Ponce DeLeon and the Santa Maria damaged due to storms) were replaced.

Interestingly, I have a document that gives system descriptions and F-5L specification's for this design, however the fuselage length was unchanged. The cockpit was moved forward in an enclosure similar to the Aeromarine Polar Bear observation cabin.

This design is not mentioned in any of the text's (outside of plans in newspapers of the era), that I have seen, other than the ones I have found in the Smithsonian.
About F5-L modified for Cuba routes

Capture d’écran 2024-03-27 à 15.08.16.png Capture d’écran 2024-03-27 à 15.08.38.png
 
Yes, this was the inauguration of the scheduled airline (Nov 1, 1920), however the first modified F5L's by Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company occurred in early 1919 with the Aeromarine Navy Cruisers. These were used in the flights of the Aeromarine Sightseeing and Navigation Company, a charter for Aeromarine, in the summer of 1919 and then with the Aeromarine West Indies Airways after the merger with the Florida West Indies Airway company headed by Geoffrey Bonnell (who was erroneously credited with shooting down Oswald Boelcke in WWI, becomes manager for Aeromarine Airways). The Aeromarine Navy Cruisers can be distinguished from the later modifications by the covered cockpit and the name 'Aeromarine' on her bow and original F5 rudder (a seen below).
 

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The F-5L modified by Aeromarine as airliners/transports received the designation Model 75 Aerial Cruiser. They were in effect the first regular airliners between the United States and other American countries. Some were also routinely used by bootleggers to transport illicit alcohol during the prohibition. They are not to be mistaken for the smaller, six-passenger Model 80 flying boats, which were modified from Curtiss HS-2L types.
 

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Here is an interesting photo. Gertrude 'Cleo' Lythgoe, the 'Bahama Queen,' who supplied/ran alcohol in to the US through the Bahamas. She worked with an English liquor company to import their alcohol into the Bahamas where she would distribute it to rum runners headed for the US. She would eventually work with William McCoy (who was the origin of the saying "Real McCoy" for uncut liquor) and sold 'hams' from his ship off of Rum Row (pictured below). Here she is on the bow of the Aeromarine F5L Balboa on a trip from Nassau, Bahama, to Bimini, and Miami. Unknown if contraband was on this flight.
 

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The F-5L modified by Aeromarine as airliners/transports received the designation Model 75 Aerial Cruiser. They were in effect the first regular airliners between the United States and other American countries. Some were also routinely used by bootleggers to transport illicit alcohol during the prohibition. They are not to be mistaken for the smaller, six-passenger Model 80 flying boats, which were modified from Curtiss HS-2L types.
Thanks for the info, Sir!
 
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