History
The company was organized by Albert S. Menasco in 1926 to convert World War I surplus Salmson Z-9 water-cooled nine-cylinder radials into air-cooled engines for private use. His association with John K. (Jack) Northrop and his flying wing project in the late 1920s convinced him of the need for a new configuration of aircraft engine: an inverted in-line air-cooled layout that would have the propeller shaft on top for better ground clearance and improved pilot vision. In 1929, Menasco designed his own engine, the 4-A, the first of what was to become Menasco's main product line, the inverted, in-line engine. Menasco designed and built a variety of four- and six-cylinder inverted air-cooled aircraft engines, some with supercharging. During WWII, Menasco manufactured aircraft landing gear for North American, Lockheed, Republic, General Dynamics, and others. After WWII, aircraft landing gear became Menasco's main product.Menasco engines
Menasco retires
Al Menasco left the company in 1938. Menasco opened a car dealership, tried his hand at grape cultivation and winemaking, and was sought for advice by aviators and engine manufacturers until his death in 1988.Aircraft landing gear
In 1945, Menasco Motor Company changed its name to Menasco Manufacturing Company to better describe the company's business, which had transitioned from aircraft engines to development and manufacturing aircraft landing gear. More than 80,000 gear sets were produced during WWII, including such aircraft as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the North American P-51 Mustang, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. Beginning about 1946, landing gear manufacturing shifted to include commercial airliners. By the end of the 1990s, Menasco Aerosystems was the free world's largest producer of aircraft landing gear, with plants in California, Texas and Canada. A few of the aircraft that gear sets were made for include the A-7, F-102, C-130, C-141, the Space Shuttle, F-16, F-16E, F-18, F-18E, YF-22, B-1, C-5A, C-5B, B-52, and tip gear for the B-36. Gear sets for Boeing include the 707, 727, 737, 757, 777 and the KC-135. Gear sets were also made for the Lockheed L-1011, Boeing, Douglas, Convair, Martin, McDonnel, Republic, North American and other aircraft manufacturers. Although the firm built thousands of engines for a variety of training aircraft during WWII, it did not resume engine manufacturing or development after the war, instead focusing on developing its landing gear business. Menasco landing gear became the industry standard, as its reputation for quality was acknowledged across the aircraft industry.Into space
Menasco built the landing gear that allowed the space shuttle to land on a runway.Mergers
Malabar Machine Company
Malabar Machine Company was started in 1935 by Mr. E.P. “Ed” Grime (pronounced Grim) as a machine shop for manufacturing items for customers. Malabar’s primary business was aircraft jacks, including axle jacks for servicing aircraft. Menasco Manufacturing Company acquired Malabar in 1945, and relocated it to its Burbank, California, plant to operate as the “Malabar Division” of Menasco. Malabar’s sales efforts included both domestic and international airlines and airframe manufacturers. Malabar continues to manufacture aircraft jack products, and offers a line of aircraft maintenance and support equipment.Howmet Corporation
In 1970, Menasco, a corporation with manufacturing plants in Burbank, California, andColt Industries
In 1977,Colt Changes Name to Coltec
Colt Industries sold its firearms business, a divestiture that led it to change its name to Coltec Industries to emphasize its role as a producer of aerospace, automotive and industrial products. Coltec was a manufacturer of landing gear systems, engine fuel controls, turbine blades, fuel injectors, nozzles and related components for commercial and military aircraft, and also produces high-horsepower diesel engines for naval ships and diesel, gas and dual-fuel engines for electric power plants. The divisions, principal products and principal markets of the Aerospace/Government segment are as follows:The end
Closing the Burbank Plant
In the first quarter of 1994, Coltec Industries Inc. closed its landing gear manufacturing plant in Burbank, California, consolidating the production of landing gear systems at its Menasco Aerosystems facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and its Menasco Aerospace Ltd. facility in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.Coltec purchased by Goodrich Aerospace
Coltec Industries was acquired byProducts
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