REVISED: 4/6/09

Laird, Laird-Swallow, Laird-Turner

1912: Emil Matthew "Matty" Laird, Chicago IL; 1917: Memphis TN and San Antonio TX. 1919: E M Laird Aviation Co Inc (with partners William Burke & Jacob M "Jake" Moellendick (Wichita Aircraft Co)), 244 South Wichita Ave, Wichita KS. (1923: Swallow as a reorganization headed by Moellendick when Laird left the partnership.) 1923: E M Laird Airplane Co, 4500 W 83 St (Ashburn Field) Chicago; 1935: 5301 W 65 St. 1941: Converted to wartime B-24 subassembly, LaPorte IN. 1945: E M Laird retired from business.

#1, Monoplane 1912 = 1pOhwM; 12hp motorcycle engine. Matty Laird's first plane. Crashed on a first flight of self-instruction; a second attempt after repairs also ended in a crash and the plane was beyond repair. Laird, unhurt, was 16 at the time.

  Laird Baby Biplane Henry Keller, pilot (Marie H Folse estate)

#2, Baby Biplane 1913 = 1pOB; 12hp 4-cylinder Hofer. Laird's solo flight machine; later his flight-training and exhibition ship. In the photo above, Henry "Pop" Keller sits in the Baby Biplane #2. The three hangars in the photo were located near the southeastern corner of the Cicero flying field. To the far right is hangar #15, in which the Baby Biplane was built. The additional two hangars to the left of #15 date the photo to 1915.
B-3 1915 = 2pOB; 30hp Excelsior. Laird's first commercial plane, sold to the National Airplane Co in Chicago, officially forming his company.
B-4 1916 = 2pOB; 45hp Anzani; span: 25'4" length: 19'5" v: 65. Affectionately known to Laird as "Bone Shaker."
C-6 Special 19?? = No data; 160hp Curtiss C-6 [1353, 2173, 3096]. Possible connexion to Model S?
Commercial 1924 = 3pOB; 90hp Curtiss OX-5; span: 33'0" length: 23'6" v: 95/85/40 range: 600. Differed from later models with water-cooled motors and straight-axle gear. Also with 160hp Curtiss C-6 (v: 120/100/45) and 200hp Wright (v: 130/110/40). [9, 110, 105, 198, 931, 3923].
  Laird Derby Racer [R10422] with radial

Derby Racer 1930 = 1pOB; 90hp Cirrus. Racer for Cirrus Derby [R10422] (p: Herman Hamer). Later modified with radial engine for Harold Johnson's touring air shows.
  Laird LC-1B [NC170N] (Rezich Brothers coll)
  Laird LC-1B [NC13699] (Floyd Levin coll)

LC-1B 1935 (ATC 86, 2-501) = 2-3pOB; 285hp Wright R-760; span: 33'6"; wider fuselage than LC-B. POP: 11.
  Laird LC-AA [C391] (Rezich Brothers coll)

LC-AA Commercial 1928 (ATC 2-93) = 6pCB; 420hp P&W Wasp; span: 40'0" length: 28'8" load: 1470# v: 140/115/45 range: 550. POP: 1 for Chicago businessman George Horton [C391] c/n 163. Last seen 1939 in Wisconsin being used to haul fish.
  Laird LC-B [NC6906] (John W Underwood coll)
  Laird LC-B with Wright J-4 (Rezich Brothers coll)
  Laird LC-B Nice restoration [NC10402] (AAA/Airpower Museum)

LC-B, -R Commercial 1925 (ATC 86, 2-17) = 3pOB; 200-450hp Wright J-4/-5/-6; (data for J-4) span: 34'6" length: 23'9" load: 1050# v: 130/110/48 range: 650 ceiling: 19,000'. $9,850; POP: 12 [10, 240, 614E, 746W, 863E, 1107, C2390, NC6906/6907, NC7512, NC7616/7617]. Inside-loop record (1,073 loops) set in 1928 by Charles "Speed" Holman. LC-R was a 1928 upgrade with 220hp J-5 under (2-17) and spans: (upper) 34'0" (lower) 30'6". POP: 2, of which one was 1p racer for the 1930 Nationals.
  Laird LC-B200 [CF-AQY] (K O Eckland coll)

LC-B200, -1B200 Commercial 1931 (ATC 2-324) = 3pOB; 220hp Wright J-5. POP: 3 [C542E, C562E, C1045] and 1 as LC-1B200 [NC58E], plus unregistered exports to Canada—example [CF-APY] noted by Johan Visschedijk (1000aircraftphotos.com).
  Laird LC-B300 [N867M] (Clark Scott coll)
  Laird LC-1B300 (K O Eckland coll)

LC-B300, -1B285, -1B300 Commercial 1930 (ATC 353, 2-189) = 2-3pOB; 300hp Wright J-6; span: 34'0" length: 23'9" load: 1064# v: 145/115/50 range: 500. $13,500; POP: less than 6, of which three were repowered with 330hp J-6 under (353). (2-189) was original approval. LC-1B285 and -1B300 were deluxe versions with NACA low-drag cowl.
Laird LC-DC Mattie Laird in cockpit [NR10537] (Rezich Brothers coll)
  Laird LC-DC as Johnson Rocket [NR10537]

LC-DC Speedwing Junior 1930 = 1pOB; 120hp Ranger. $6,000; POP: 2 or 3. Prototype [NR10537] had 165hp Chevrolair, was converted to 145hp Warner Super Scarab by Harold Johnson in 1937 as Johnson Rocket (qv).
LC-DE Speedwing Junior 1930 = LC-DC with 125hp Warner Scarab. POP: 1 [NR10422].
  Laird Solution [NR10538] (Gene Palmer coll)
  Laird Solution 1937 rebuild [NR10538] (Gene Palmer coll)

LC-DW Solution 1930 = 1pOB; 470hp P&W Wasp; span: 21'0" length: 17'9". Racer; 1930 Thompson Trophy (p: Charles Holman; v: 202mph). [NR10538].
  Laird Super Solution and Doolittle [NR12048] (Gene Palmer coll)
LC-DW300, -DW500 Super Solution 1931 = 1pOB; 535hp P&W Wasp. Racer for the 1931 Bendix [NR12048], in which it won the trophy (p: James Doolittle; avg 217mph Burbank-Newark). Modified to retractable gear for 1932, the gear-retraction mechanism failed during its test flight and Doolittle had to make a wheels-up landing, causing enough damage to cancel entry in the Bendix race.
  Laird LC-EW450 Sesquiwing [R13684] (Rezich Brothers coll)

LC-EW450 Sesquiwing 1934 = 6pCswB; 450hp P&W Wasp; span: (upper) 38'0" (lower) 8'8" length: 27'6" load: 2145# v: 200/175/58 range: 850. Monocoque fuselage. POP: 1 for industrialist George Horton [R13684] c/n LC-E-201. After his death in 1935 it was donated to Rensselaer Institute aeronautical department.
  Laird LC-R200 [X634] (K O Eckland coll)

LC-R200 Speedwing 1929 (ATC 152) = 1pOB; 220hp Wright J-5; span: 28'0" length: 22'9" load: 1066# v: 150+/120/58 range: 650. Custom-built "I-strutters" for $10,600; POP: 5 [C633/634, X7086/7087, C7216] c/ns 178/177, 166/167, 162 respectively. [633/634] converted to LC-R300, [C7216] to LC-RW450.
  Laird LC-R300 [9419] (K O Eckland coll)

LC-R300 Speedwing 1929 (ATC 176, 2-189) = 1-3pOB; 300hp Wright J-6; span: 28'0" length: 22'7" load: 1088# v: 175/140/65 range: 575. $11,500; POP: 6; first two converted from LC-R200 [633/634], one became LC-B300 under (2-189).
  Laird LC-RW300 [NC10591] (Rezich Brothers coll)

LC-RW300 Speedwing 1930 (ATC 377) = 300hp P&W Wasp Jr; span: 28'0" length: 23'6" load: 970# v: 170/150/60 range: 650. I-struts, speed cowling. $15,500, $14,250 in 1931; POP: 2 [NC10591, NC14803], plus one which remained crated for some 60 years until it was restored and flown in California 1993 [NC4442].
  Laird LC-450 of Alexander de Seversky [634] (Edward J Young coll)

LC-RW450 Speedwing 1931 (ATC 2-346) = 2p LC-R300 with 420 P&W Wasp C and 450hp Wasp SC. POP: 2 conversions [309W, 634].
  Laird Limousine (Walter House coll via Skyways)

Limousine 1921 = 7pCB; 300hp Packard V-012; span: 38'0" length: 28'6" load: 1800#. POP: 1, rebuilt from the Twin. Crashed when its coolant expansion tank exploded during a take-off. What was left was stored away, reportedly scrapped in 1933.
  Laird S with Curtiss C-6 (Rezich Brothers coll)

S Sport Plane 1918 = 2pOB; 50hp Gnôme rotary, also 160hp Curtiss C-6; span: 27'6" length: 19'6" load: 425# v: 70. POP: about 3 [140, et al]. Matty Laird's fourth commercial design.
Standardwing c.1935 = 3pOB; 285hp Wright J-6; v: 150/133/45 range: 600.
  Laird Swallow  [N-ABCB] (Lester Bishop via David Balanky coll)

Swallow 1920 = 3pOB; 90hp Curtiss OX-5; span: 36'0" length: 23'4" load: 675# v: 86/74/38 range: 255. Matty Laird. $6,500; POP: 42. Essentially a redesigned Curtiss JN-4. The first Laird Co production aircraft, advertised as "America's first commercial airplane;" ff: 4/x/20. First US-built airplane to carry a civil registration number, [NABCB] in 1922—the all-letter system was dropped after only 33 registrations. Production continued as New Swallow after dissolution of Laird's and Moellendick's partnership. (Laird took two airplanes and $1,500 cash for his interest.)
Twin 1921 = 7pO/CB; two 90hp Curtiss OX-5; span: 38'0" length: 28'6". Pilot sat in top front of fuselage, cabin accommodated six; triple-tail with one-piece elevator. Motor vibration problems prompted redesign as the single-engine Limousine. POP: 1.
  Laird Whippoorwill [X403]

Whippoorwill 1928 = 4pCB; 220hp Wright J-5; span: 36'0" length: 27'0" load: 1000# v: 135/105/45. POP: 1 refined copy of Charlie Laird's 1926 Pierce Arrow [X4102] c/n 10-1, and 2 productions [5089, 7392] c/ns 10-2 and 10-3. Company's initial venture into the cabin-plane market was less than memorable.
-Turner Special SEE Turner.