Consolidated Origins (1923–1924)

The story of Consolidated Aircraft begins with a bold act of vision by Reuben H. Fleet during a pivotal moment in American aviation. In the early 1920s, the aviation industry was fragmented and struggling. Dozens of small companies produced aircraft of varying quality, stability, and safety. Many were underfunded; some were poorly managed; others held remarkable potential but lacked leadership capable of unifying engineering talent, financial stability, and long-term purpose.

Fleet recognized an opportunity that others missed. Drawing on his experience as a military officer, test pilot, engineer, and manufacturer, he believed the United States needed a consolidated source of reliable, standardized, and professionally built aircraft. To achieve this, he set out to merge two pioneering but faltering aviation companies into a single, powerful enterprise.

The Strategic Vision

Fleet purchased Dayton-Wright Aircraft Company, which had built aircraft for the U.S. military during World War I but struggled in the postwar market. He simultaneously acquired Gallaudet Aircraft Company, an innovative but financially distressed manufacturer known for experimental designs. Each company brought strengths: Dayton-Wright had production experience; Gallaudet had engineering creativity.

By combining them, Fleet created a unified company with both the technical skill and the manufacturing capacity to build the next generation of American aircraft. He named the new entity Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, a title that reflected both the merger itself and his intention to bring order, safety, and professionalism to a young industry.

Early Direction and Purpose

From the beginning, Fleet established three priorities:

Reliability and Safety — Every aircraft would be more stable, more controllable, and more structurally sound than the fragile craft of the 1910s.
Standardization — Manufacturing processes would be refined, documented, and optimized, moving aviation closer to mass production.
Training First — Fleet understood that America needed safe, dependable training aircraft before it could produce advanced combat or transport planes.

These principles guided the company’s early work and became the foundation of its later success.

A New Kind of Leadership

Fleet’s leadership style distinguished Consolidated from its contemporaries. He:

combined the discipline of a military commander with the insight of a test pilot
understood engineering challenges firsthand
demanded accountability and precision from every employee
inspired confidence among financiers, government officials, and military leaders

He saw beyond the novelty of flight and treated aviation as a national infrastructure project — something that must be built with rigor if it was to endure.

The Beginning of an Aviation Empire

By 1924, Consolidated Aircraft was positioned to become a major force. Its early trainers would soon define American pilot instruction. Its flying boats would revolutionize maritime aviation. Its bombers would help win the Second World War. And its manufacturing complexes — first in Buffalo, later in San Diego and Fort Worth — would become among the largest in the world.

What began as a merger grew into one of the most important aviation companies of the 20th century. Consolidated Aircraft would introduce aircraft that shaped an era, train pilots who fought in every theater of war, and eventually evolve into Convair, a company whose innovations reached into the jet age and beyond.

This is where that story begins.