03/31/2012. The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation at Ithaca, New York, was formed in 1917 by the merger of the Thomas Bros. Aeroplane Company and the Morse Chain Company. The single-seat MB-7 was converted from an USAAS MB-3 (s/n 64374) and was intended for entry in the 1921 Pulitzer races, designated R-5 by the USN. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash during a trial flight.