Inglis Moore Uppercu and the Burnelli connection

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Tophe

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Like probably several among you, I know that the famous twin-boom Burnelli UB-14 of 1935 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnelli_UB-14) had UB letters for Uppercu-Burnelli. I thought that Vincent Burnelli, that made lifting-fuselage aircraft for a long time previously had joined the financial side of some Mr Uppercu. BUT I found a 1934-36 patent of such airplane by inventor Inglis Uppercu for the Burnelli Aircraft Ltd. see http://www.google.com/patents?id=OxRoAAAAEBAJ
So… Is Mr Uppercu the designer and Mr Burnelli the finance leader or manufacturer? I feel puzzled (note the half-flying-boat side, of a landplane with a keel part to soften crash/alight on the Ocean…).
(PS. I did not post it in the patent part of the forum because this airplane is not a weird invention, the issue is more to understand the story of Uppercu-Burnelli designs in general.)
 

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In the magazine "Le Fana de l'Aviation" #221 (April 1988) is an article about the Cunliffe-Owen OA-1 of French Army from the Uppercu-Burnelli UB-14. Indlis Uppercu is presented only as a money provider that required to add U to the name of aircraft Vincent Burnelli designed and built... (French text below). How this finance man could be later "inventor employee of Burnelli Aircraft Ltd"? And inventor of many other aviation patents before joining Burnelli? What is the true story??
Maybe Burnelli has been wrongly treated for his invention not to become popular, but has he treated himself wrongly some of his employees or co inventors?
 

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Mr Uppercu was founder /owner of the Callic Corporation in the U.S.

In this funtion he was not only involved in the Burnelli designs but also
in Aeromarine.

He is sometimes mentioned as one of the early aviation pioneers in the U.S.
 
Tophe: Inglis Moore Uppercu was primarily a businessman although he also had technical training. Uppercu invested in New Jersey's Boland Airplane and Motor Company. The Boland brothers were designers in their own right. Uppercu was just the money guy.

Uppercu-Burnelli Airplane Co. was a similar story. Uppercu was President of the company, Burnelli was VP and Chief Designer. It may have been for legal reasons that Uppercu had his name on the Aeromarine or Uppercu-Burnelli patent applications. I doubt that he had any hand in actual aircraft design.

Mind you, with his slight background in automotive engineering, he may have had something to do with Aeromarine developing the Boland line of engines. Anyone know for sure?
 
:) Thanks for these explanations, solving the mystery, it seems. I have heard that it is the same for Nobel Prizes: quite often, the discoverer is ignored and the boss wins... :( ;)
 
Apophenia said:
Tophe: Inglis Moore Uppercu was primarily a businessman although he also had technical training. Uppercu invested in New Jersey's Boland Airplane and Motor Company. The Boland brothers were designers in their own right. Uppercu was just the money guy.

Uppercu-Burnelli Airplane Co. was a similar story. Uppercu was President of the company, Burnelli was VP and Chief Designer. It may have been for legal reasons that Uppercu had his name on the Aeromarine or Uppercu-Burnelli patent applications. I doubt that he had any hand in actual aircraft design.

Mind you, with his slight background in automotive engineering, he may have had something to do with Aeromarine developing the Boland line of engines. Anyone know for sure?
Click to expand...

Apophenia, I agree with you. I has been researching the Boland brothers from quite a while, and as you say, Uppercu was the money behind the company. When Frank Boland, the designer among the Boland brothers died in 1913, Uppercu bought the company from Frank's wife, and formed Aeromarine. I can't tell who designed the 1914 Boland Flying boat, the first for Aeromarine (the land Model B was previous). It does come as a surprise to me that the patents list Uppercu as the inventor. Burnelli was an aircraft designer in all its extensions. Uppercu a businessman.

Alejandro
Venezuela
 
Hi,

can anyone provide me a more Info about this mystery ?,it was a Uppercu designed,certainly
associated with Burnelli and its earlier airplanes,it was called Model-101,a twin engined high-
speed transport Project ?.

http://all-aero.com/index.php/55-planes-t-u/11374-uppercu-burnelli-model-101-
 
hesham said:
... it was a Uppercu designed,certainly associated with Burnelli ...
Click to expand...

A much-delayed response but, to repeat, Inglis Uppercu was just the business guy, Vincent Burnelli was the aircraft designer.

This Uppercu-Burnelli Model 101 project was based on the biplane RB-1 which Burnelli designed shortly after leaving the Lawson Aircraft Company.
 

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