LC-13 Airmaster - NX20490

LC-13 "Airmaster" – Registry NX20490, SN 602

Built by: Vearne C. Babcock – 1938

Airmaster Company, Akron, Ohio

Photograph

The NX20490, ATC 2-389, was the second LC-13 to be manufactured, eight years after the construction of NC998W. Dubbed the “Airmaster” she featured an enclosed canopy with a Cirrus 95 horse-power, 4 cylinder, in-line engine. Construction of the little monoplane began in 1937, and was completed in 1938. [1][2][3]

While the Depression had created a slump in the aircraft market, the looming threat of war in Europe during the late 1930s reinvigorated the industry. The United States began the process of rearming with a focus on air power, and Florida began courting aviation companies to establish factories in their state. [3][4]

Business interests in Orlando, Florida contacted Vearne C. Babcock in Ohio with requests to see a demonstration of his little monoplane. Strapped for funds, Babcock had to build the jigs for the Airmaster himself in order to make her ready to fly. [3][4]

In 1938, Babcock, flew down with the newly finished NX20490 to show the aircraft’s capabilities. The demonstration ended in disaster with the crash of the Airmaster near Sanford, Florida, and the death of two Florida businessmen sometime in 1938 (a record of the crash itself has not yet been found). [3][4][6]

Despite this setback, the Airmaster had proven to be easy to fly with good visibility and plans went ahead with the creation of Babcock Aircraft Corporation on May 12, 1939 to manufacture the more streamlined LC-13A. [4][5][6]

REFERENCES:

1.       FAA Website: N-Number Inquiry: N20490

2.       “Aircraft Listing” – Office of Aviation Safety; US Department of Commerce; Civil Aeronautics Administration; Washington DC – July 1, 1949 – PAGE 9 - Approved Type Certificate: 2-389: Bartlett (Taubman) LC-13

3.       “My Dad: Vearne C. Babcock” – Article by Mrs. Fred (Della) Hollendorfer – American Airman, Feb 1961 – Pg 16-17

4.       The Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio – 8-Nov-1945 – Pg 18, Col. 1

5.       “Airplane Factory will move here on Sept. 15” – St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Florida – Pg 1 & 4

6.       “Babcock to head Florida Factory – The Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio – 6-Apr-1940 – Pg 14, Col. 4