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Henry Ford's
Aviation Ventures
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Influential Men
Henry didn’t get into the aviation business on his own—three men,
in particular, helped him get a jump-start. First there was his son Edsel. In
a 1925 statement to the press, Henry admitted: “This interest in aviation
is largely Edsel Ford’s idea and he deserves the credit. Airplanes belong
to another generation. I shall do everything possible in their development. .
.”
Another early influence on Henry Ford was Bill
Stout, an unconventional engineer with a streak
of genius and a whimsical personality. Believing
early on in the commercial potential of all-metal
airplanes, he founded the Stout Metal Airplane
Company in 1922 and proceeded to get Henry, Edsel
and other Detroit industrialists interested in
them. Stout later claimed that “The greatest
single thing that I accomplished for aviation
was getting Mr. Ford into it.”
Henry Ford’s genius was evident when he
put Ford Motor Company engineer William Mayo
in charge of the aviation division. Mayo saw
the future in commercial aviation, believed Detroit
should be at the center of it and claimed responsibility
for interesting Henry and Edsel in Stout’s
planes.
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