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Clarence Gilbert (“C.G.”) Taylor was a talented airplane designer whose first major influence was the famous Cub, developed in cooperation with William T. Piper himself. Taylor started his own operation in Butler, Pennsylvania in 1935. The first “Taylor made” plane, dubbed the Model A, emerged in 1936 and was intended to improve upon the Cub, with features like side-by-side seating, dual controls, rugged construction, and great performance despite the small engine. It was even successful in competition, taking first and second places in the Lightplane Derby at the 1937 National Air Races. Over 1,837 Model As were built.
In 1936, Taylor relocated his operation to Alliance, Ohio, as the city had offered him the use of the former Hess-Argo factory for free. He expanded this factory several times to keep up with the demand for the brisk-selling Model A. William C. Young entered the picture as a partner in April of 1937 and became vice president and general manager, with Taylor continuing as president and chief engineer. Now the Taylor-Young Airplane Company, the company was reorganized in 1938 and again renamed, this time as “Taylorcraft.”
The Museum’s Taylorcraft A was built in 1937 in Alliance, Ohio. It appears to have been most active in the mid-1940s, when it mainly flew in Oregon. After falling into disrepair in the 1970s, the plane was extensively restored by Loren Lemen near Spokane, Washington. It was donated to the Museum in 1983 by Frank W. and Signe J. Moon of Redmond, Washington. The aircraft is equipped by a Continental A-40-4 engine.
Clarence Gilbert (“C.G.”) Taylor was a talented airplane designer whose first major influence was the famous Cub, developed in cooperation with William T. Piper himself. Taylor started his own operation in Butler, Pennsylvania in 1935. The first “Taylor made” plane, dubbed the Model A, emerged in 1936 and was intended to improve upon the Cub, with features like side-by-side seating, dual controls, rugged construction, and great performance despite the small engine. It was even successful in competition, taking first and second places in the Lightplane Derby at the 1937 National Air Races. Over 1,837 Model As were built.
In 1936, Taylor relocated his operation to Alliance, Ohio, as the city had offered him the use of the former Hess-Argo factory for free. He expanded this factory several times to keep up with the demand for the brisk-selling Model A. William C. Young entered the picture as a partner in April of 1937 and became vice president and general manager, with Taylor continuing as president and chief engineer. Now the Taylor-Young Airplane Company, the company was reorganized in 1938 and again renamed, this time as “Taylorcraft.”
The Museum’s Taylorcraft A was built in 1937 in Alliance, Ohio. It appears to have been most active in the mid-1940s, when it mainly flew in Oregon. After falling into disrepair in the 1970s, the plane was extensively restored by Loren Lemen near Spokane, Washington. It was donated to the Museum in 1983 by Frank W. and Signe J. Moon of Redmond, Washington. The aircraft is equipped by a Continental A-40-4 engine.
