Orenco was an American aircraft manufacturer founded in 1916 in New York as Ordnance Engineering Corporation. Confusion with the
Ordnance Branch of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
led to the shortening of the name in 1919. The company's first project was the
Orenco A in 1917, but they received no orders for it. The
Orenco B and
C received small orders, but the
Orenco D was the most successful of their aircraft. The
US Army Air Service
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
(USAAS) bought four prototypes, but the order for 50 production aircraft was given to the lowest bidder, in this case
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decades ...
.
Orenco's projects in civil aviation failed as well, due to the number of aircraft available after the end of World War I. The company consequently went out of business.
Aircraft
References
Bibliography
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{{Orenco aircraft
Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York (state)
American companies established in 1916