The Glenn L. Martin
Maryland Aviation Museum

“The way to build aircraft or do anything else worthwhile is to think out quietly every detail, analyze every situation that may possibly occur and when you have it worked out in practical sequence in your mind, raise heaven and earth and never stop until you have produced the thing you started to make.”  Glenn L. Martin 1918

 

1886 +  (a) Glenn L. Martin born 17 January 1886 in Macksburg, Iowa

             (b) Grew up in Kansas.  Attracted to all things mechanical; became 1st class auto mechanic

             (c) Two year business college – combined mechanical and business skills

1905 - Moved to Santa Anna, CA with parents; Got job in garage and later Agency for Ford and Maxwell autos.

1906 - Opened own garage – agency for new autos

1907 - Saw first “aeroplane” that made forced landing – engine failure.  Built glider (box-kite)

1908 - Built his first aircraft (monoplane – unsuccessful)

1910 - Built and flew his first successful aircraft; Improved design, now with larger engine.  Began flying at county fairs and exhibitions for prize money; became known as “Flying Dude.”

1911 - Began building aircraft - Charles Day and Charles Willard first engineers. Continued F.A.I. aviator certificate No. 56 and the Aero Club of America’s Expert  Aviators certificate No. 2

1912 - Moved factory to L.A. and became incorporated as the “Glenn L. Martin Co.”  Converted Model 12 Hydroplane. Flew to Catalina Island and return. World’s longest over water flight – 66 miles in 80 minutes flying time

          Opened Glenn L. Martin Aviation School in East Newport.

          Promotional Opportunities:

             a.Tiny Broadwick – Parachute jumper

             b.Valeska Surett – (actor) public kiss after return from flight.  Generated opportunities in motion pictures. (Didn’t help with bank loans.)

             c. Introduced aircraft to military application with mock bombing

1913 - Set altitude record, 9000 feet

          Army orders tractor biplane – 7 built as Model T

          Martin takes T Hydro and enters Great Lakes Reliability contest.  Starting at Chicago, along the East shore of Lake Michigan, East shore of Lake Huron to Detroit.  Total distance 887 miles. Martin completes half of trip, forced down.

1914 - Army request for two seat tandem dual control “tractor.” C. Willard, engineer, designed Model TT – 14 ordered.

          Flew Army bombing demo using TT.

          Different models produced – armor-clad TA-1.

          C. Willard leaves; replaced by Donald Douglas, MIT grad.

1915 - Role as pilot in movie, “The Girl of Yesterday” with Mary Pickford.  W. Boeing enrolls in Martin’s flight school and purchases a model TA aircraft.  Army pilot sets endurance record in Martin TT, 8 hours, 53 minutes

1916 - Wright-Martin aircraft corporation formed.  Aircraft production board dominated by leaders in automotive industry and request Martin build French designed aircraft engines.  Glenn L. Martin Company plant at Los Angeles now building Model S seaplane trainer and Model R Trainer-observation plane – Netherlands, East Indies, and U.S. Army the customers

1917 - Martin withdraws from Wright-Martin Co. in summer 1917, finishes all contracts for Models S and R and closes Los Angeles plant.  Moves to Cleveland and incorporates in Dec. 1917

1918 - Set-up new plant with D. Douglas, design engineer, and L. Bell, factory manager, and J. Kindleberger, draftsman.  Martin gives up flying in order to get loan for new factory. Design and first flight of Martin GMB/MB-1 & 2; total orders 10

1919 - Completion of original contract for Army.  Began work on Mail Plane version of bomber Post Office; also, received contract for another version for U.S. Navy bomber.

1921 - Contracts for Army and Navy bombers completed.  The remaining years of this decade are devoted exclusively to the building “Carrier type” aircraft for the Navy.  The T4M-1 was the last of the series including the SC-1, SC-2, T3M-1 types, making a total of 303 planes completed for the U.S. Navy, (the last of which was delivered Dec. 20, 1928), and a total of 440 all types for the U.S. Government.

1928 - Acquires total land of 1240 acres in Middle River for future expansion and airport; incorporates in Maryland.  Began work on dive bomber, XT5M-1 in leased Canton warehouse.

1929 - New plant opens, most modern in U.S., 298,000 sq. ft. of floor space.

1930 - Production contraction for XT5M-1, production version now designated BM-1.  Scheduled deliveries began on 27 PM-1 flying boats based on a design developed by Naval aircraft Factory in Philadelphia.

1931 - Additional contract for 28 PM-2 and 9 P3M-1, an aircraft based on Consolidated flying boat design.

1932 - Development and first flight of bomber prototype X3-907; modified and designated XB-10.

1933 - Collier trophy award for outstanding aviation achievement for the design and development of the Model 139, Martin B-10 Bomber; received contract from Army for 48 aircraft.

1934 - First flight for Model M-130 China Clipper flying boat; Pan Am orders three.  Martin received contract for additional B-10B bombers - total 105.

1935 - China Clipper along with Hawaii and Philippine Clippers began mail services from San Francisco to Manila.

1936 - Passenger service established on the Pacific run with Martin Clippers.  Martin Model 139 released for export – eventually selling 192 abroad. Soviet Union buys one Model 156 flying boat. Known as the Soviet Clipper, this was a much larger and more powerful version of standard Pan Am Martin Clippers.

1937 - Alvert Kahn designs new B Building, large enough to assemble six Clippers.  Martin receives a development contract for a single XPBM-1 Patrol Bomber known as Model 160.  Martin engineers develop three-eighths scale flying model known as the Model 162A “Tadpole Clipper.”  Testing began late in the year.  The Navy awards Martin and order 21 pbm-1 Mariners.

1939 - Development, first flight of Model 167/XA-22, rejection by Army and sale to French, initial order 215.  Known as “Glenn” by the French and renamed “Maryland” by the British including all undelivered  aircraft as well as subsequent orders by the British;  total production: 496

1940 - Design engineer of B-26, Payton Magruder.  Makes first flight in November. Delivery of first 21 production PBM-1 Mariners began in September.

1941 - First deliveries of B-26 began in February.  Bomb Group at Langley, Va. Final delivery of Model 167 Maryland.

1942 - Start-up of Martin’s Omaha Nebraska plant.  First flight of Martin XPM2M-1 Mars.  The 22nd Bomb Group is ordered to the Pacific in February and is the first bomb group to see active service after Pearl Harbor.

1943 - Modified Marauder began coming off production line.  Aircraft has longer wing and larger tail surfaces plus other improvements. Specifically the B-26B-10 in Baltimore and the B-26 C in Omaha. Employment peaks and exceeds 53,000.  Marauder in service in Mediterranean and from England is redeeming itself with the lowest loss rate – better than any other plane type.

1944 - B-26 production at Omaha gives way in April to the production of 531 Martin B-29’s.  Fifty are modified and assigned to the 509th Composite Group destined to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan.  Last Model 187 Baltimore delivered in May; total production of 1575, all to Britain.

1945 - a.Termination of B-26 Marauder program; including Omaha, 5255 built by end of WW-2.  Massive lay-offs began but enough of the work force remains to work on various projects, including the modification of 1200 C-54’s to a commercial DC-4 configuration for airline use.

           b.First flight of AM-1 Mauler, followed by XP4M-1 Mercator, and in Nov. the first flight of the 202 airliner.  Martin B-26G modified with “bicycle” landing gear to be used on new jet XB-48 bomber.  The modified Marauder, now known as the XB-26H with the nick-name “Middle River Stump Jumper.”

1947 - Production contract received from Navy for 99 AM-1;s.  Now known as “Able Mable.”  Navy contracts received for 19 Model 219A P4M-1 Mercator. Martin XB-48 makes first flight; two built; no further contracts

1948 - AM-1 Mauler enters squadron service and order total 152.  Model 237 XP5M-1 Marlin makes first flight in May.  Orders for P5M-1 total 167.

1949 - XB-51 makes first flight.  Two prototypes built. No further contracts.  Production terminated on PNM Mariner contracts.  Including 36 PBM-5A amphibians, the total built was 1366.  Martin Company suffers severe losses because of 202 difficulties.  Lending institutions demand Glenn L. Martin give up operation of company.  Remains Chairman of Board.

1950 - Modified 202A enters airline service.  Total built, all models, was 47. Contracts received from TWA and Eastern Air Lines for pressurized 404.

1951 - Martin selected to produce the English Electric Canberra.

1952 - XB-51 contract canceled.  Navy awards Martin contract to build XP6M-1 SeaMaster.  More loan problems for company because of increased cost in building the 404.  Martin is completely forced out of the Company. George Bunker becomes the new President.

1953 - Martin B-57A Canberra makes first flight in July.  The first 8 are delivered as B-57A bombers and the following 67 as RB-57A tactical reconnaissance aircraft.

1954 - P5M-2 Marlin began production.  Total order 119. Following contracts are:  202 B-57B and 38 B-57C trainers.

1955 - a. On July 15th the YP6M-1 SeaMaster makes first flight.

           b. Death of Glenn L. Martin on Dec. 4th (age 69); his body flown via company plane to Santa Ana, California for burial.

1956 - Flight tests commence on second XP6M in July, however, it also crashes on 9th Nov.  The 4 man crew eject safely.

1957 - Note: The first artificial Earth satellite in the world was successfully launched by Soviet Union.

1958 - a. Starting in 1958, the RB-57As still flying in the USAF were transferred to the Air National Guard.  They were retired by 1971..               Flight testing resumes on SeaMaster.

           b. NOTE: U.S. launched first satellite and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) replaced with National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)

1959 - Production P6M-2 began flying in early 1959.  The SeaMaster was the last Martin designed aircraft to go into production.  In August the entire program canceled.

1960 - Last Martin built airplane as a P5M-2 Marlin delivered to the Navy on Dec. 20, 1950.  

 

The Martin Company remained for 40 years under the direct control of Mr. Martin and was the senior aircraft manufacturer in the United States.  Eighty plus different aircraft, numbering more than 11,000 planes were built by the company - the majority were bombers.