Gone Flying

Description

The owner of this white and blue Great Lakes biplane closes up shop and gets ready to fly.
Great Lakes Aircraft Company is an aircraft manufacturer known for the 2T-1A Sport Trainer biplane. The company has a long history of building both private and military aircraft.

Origins

In 1929, the Great Lakes Aircraft Company (GLAC) was formed in Cleveland, Ohio at the former site of the Martin Aircraft Company. They built civilian biplanes, float planes, as well as biplane torpedo bombers and dive bombers under contract to the US Navy.

2T biplane

The model that most people think of today when someone says, “Great Lakes biplane,” is the enduring 2T biplane; also known as the Great Lakes Sport Trainer. It was designed and sold as a two-place, open cockpit biplane. The 2T biplane was not as large as some of its contemporaries manufactured by Stearman, WACO and Travel Air.

The original models had a wing span of 26 feet 8 inches and length of 20 feet 4 inches. It had outrigger landing gear and the range was 375 miles. The first four Sport Trainers built were of a rare straight-wing design, one of which was modified into a special racer. Because of problems recovering from flat spins, the top wing was swept back and that is what most people recognize first when looking at a Sport Trainer. At its peak, Great Lakes had as many as 650 deposits for new aircraft. With the onset of the great depression, the Great Lakes Aircraft Company went out of business closing their doors in 1936. The company built just 264 of the Sport Trainers ordered.

Prints

The 11″ x 14″ prints are available as an Open Edition.