Winfield Bertrum "Bert" Kinner (December 16, 1882 – July 4, 1957) was an American aircraft engine designer and designer of the first folding wing aircraft. Kinner founded

Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded, in the mid-1920s, in Glendale, California, United States, by Bert Kinner, the manager of Kinner Field. Kinner's chief engineer was Max B. Harlow who later founded the ...

in Glendale, California which produced

radial engines The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is cal ...

and aircraft.

Early life

Bert Kinner was born on December 16, 1882 in Benton County, Iowa. His father was from New York. His mother was born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and her maiden name was Lee.

Career

Kinner worked, as a streetcar operator, in Denver before going to Minnesota, there working as a barber, taxi service operator, and car dealer.

Aviation career

;Kinner organized the following aircraft and engine companies: *

* Security Aircraft Corporation (1930-1935) * American Aircraft Corporation * Security National Aircraft Corporation * and three other companies On May 25, 1915, pioneer pilot and aviation designer, Otto Timm crashed in a field in Magnolia, Minnesota owned by Kinner. His aircraft's

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

engine was repaired by Kinner, who was fascinated by the aircraft. Later that year, he and his family went to California, where Kinner opened a business as an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

coachbuilder. In 1918, Kinner served in the

United States 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 war ...

, but he didn't see active duty, and was not trained to fly, because, on 11 November 1918 the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ended. In

Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...

, the following year, he went on an observation airplane ride then began an aircraft career.

Kinner Field

In 1920, Kinner was working as an aircraft engineer in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, but had an aspiration to design and build aircraft. At Long Beach Boulevard and Tweedy Boulevard, on a 230-acre property, Kinner opened an airport and a company to manufacture airplanes. The firm,

Kinner Airplane and Motor Corporation Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded, in the mid-1920s, in Glendale, California, United States, by Bert Kinner, the manager of Kinner Field. Kinner's chief engineer was Max B. Harlow who later founded the ...

, was the first California

publicly traded company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (list ...

. He was the manager of Kinner Field, the first municipally-owned airport in Los Angeles, located on the west side of Long Beach Boulevard and Tweedy Road, in what is now

South Gate, California South Gate is the 19th largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . South Gate is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was inc ...

. His airfield included a small hangar, , roughed out runway and one employee, Anita "Neta" Snook, who had recently arrived from Iowa after a season of

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

with her

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...

Canuck in tow. "Snooky" turned out to be a good hire as she not only chatted up customers, and ran the air operation, but also served as a mechanic. Kinner hired Snook to test fly his aircraft and to provide flight instruction for a prospective training school.

Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation

At the

, he began to design his first small, light aircraft called the

Kinner Airster The Kinner Airster is an American two-seat single-engined biplane designed by Bert Kinner and built by his Kinner Airplane & Motor Corporation. Development The Airster appeared in 1920 designed by Bert Kinner, it was a one or two seat open-co ...

. The tiny biplane was powered by a three-cylinder Lawrence L2 engine that put out 60 hp.Cooper, Ralph
"W. Bertrum Kinner."
''Early Aviators'', August 4, 2005. Retrieved: April 25, 2009.

Glendale

In 1923, Kinner moved his airplane and engine manufacturing firm to Glendale. In 1923, the Glendale Airport Association formed, and in 1929, resulted in the

Grand Central Air Terminal Grand Central Airport is a former airport in Glendale, California. Also known as Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), the airport was an important facility for the growing Los Angeles suburb of Glendale in the 1920s and a key element in the devel ...

at Glendale. In the late Twenties, Kinner discontinued making whole aircraft, and focused on engines. Kinner remained as an officer of The Crown Motor Carriage Company which assumed the aircraft assembly business. Aircraft Division of the Crown Carriage Company licensed the

airframe and it was manufactured as the Crown B-3 between 1930 and 1933. Kinner continued to design and build a limited series of light aircraft; the Kinner series of engines powered aircraft from the late 1920s to the early 1930s. The earliest Kinner engines had three cylinders, and were modeled after the French

Anzani 3-cylinder fan engines From 1905 to 1915, Alessandro Anzani built a number of three-cylinder fan engines and radial engines, one of which powered Louis Blériot's 1909 cross-channel flight. An Anzani three-cylinder engine that powers a Blériot XI based in England is ...

. Later Kinner developed a range of five cylinder engines. The airplane business ended in the mid-1930s, but the engines were produced through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Kinner became the West Coast's largest producer of aircraft engines in 1941. The last series of Kinner engines powered PT-22 trainers.

Later years

In the 1930s, Kinner, formed ''Security National Aircraft Corporation'' and built planes at

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, and Downey Field, that later became Downey Studios, in Downey, California,

Personal life

Kinner married Cora M. Brusse (1887-1982), the sister of his test pilot, Lee V. Brusse. In

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, they had two children, Winfield Bertrum Kinner II (1911–1993), and Donald W. Kinner (1914–?). In

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, they had two children, Donna M Kinner (14 August 1922—?), and Robert H Kinner (21 October 1924—?). Lee V. Brusse became Kinner's chief pilot and test pilot. Cora sewed fabric for airframes. Kinner was a

Quiet Birdmen The Quiet Birdmen is a secretive club in the United States for male aviators. Founded in 1921 by World War I pilots, the organization meets in various locations, never announced to the public. Members, called QBs, must be invited to join, and they ...

. About 1939, Kinner retired from active business, transferring his business to Otto Timm, turning to aircraft inspection, due to ill health. Worsening health forced him to retire. Kinner lived to age of 85, dying on 4 July 1957, in

. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

' reported, "Winfield Bertrum Kinner, 74, pioneer aircraft manufacturer and designer, died late Thursday in a Long Beach hospital"."W. B. Kinner, Pioneer Plane Designer, Dies."
''

'', July 4, 1957. Retrieved: October 23, 2012. L.A. Times Archives ProQuest Archiver He was buried in the Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation with other aviation pioneers in

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery has an entrance called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for aviation ...

Amelia Earhart

In December 1920, Kinner Field's most famous student, Amelia Earhart, arrived. After taking her first flying lesson with

Neta Snook Mary Anita "Neta" Snook Southern (February 14, 1896 – March 23, 1991) was a pioneer aviator who achieved a long list of firsts. She was the first woman aviator in Iowa, first woman student accepted at the Curtiss Flying School in Virginia, first ...

, Earhart bought the prototype Kinner Airster for $2,000 to continue her training. The bright yellow biplane, that she immediately christened "The Canary", was underpowered but provided Earhart with valuable flight time. When she wasn't able to raise more than the deposit, Kinner made a deal with her so that the Airster could be on hand as a demonstration aircraft in exchange for upkeep and hangar fees. Earhart soloed in the Airster, and after Neta left Kinner field to get married, Earhart stayed on, and continued flying. In October 1922, the Kinner Airster was used to set a world high altitude record of for women pilots, the first of the many records set by Earhart.Long 1999, p. 36. Due to a change in the family fortunes, Earhart was forced to sell "The Canary", but later put together enough money to purchase a second Airster.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Long, Elgen M. and Marie K. ''Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. . * Lovell, Mary S. ''The Sound of Wings''. New York:

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

, 1989. . * Marshall, Patti. "Neta Snook." ''Aviation History Vol. 17, No. 3. January 2007,'' p. 21-22.

External links

Kinner
: Early Aviators

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinner, Winfield Bertrum 1882 births 1957 deaths Aviation pioneers Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery People from Iowa