Babcock LC-13A Taube

02/28/2010. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Born at Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA in 1886, Verne Clifton "Bob" Babcock's first design was a copy of the Wright Flyer built in 1905, it was wrecked on take off at Bangor, Michigan in 1907. Babcock moved to Seattle, Washington, and built a second Wright copy in 1909, the same year he and a partner formed Babcock-Breininger Aeroplane Supply Co., building several more derivative aircraft. Babcock moved on to several other aviation training and engineering activities throughout the USA before forming Babcock Aircraft Co. in Akron, Ohio, in 1924.

The company experienced several reorganizations and in 1930 it was acquired by the S. Taubman Aircraft Co., and became known also as Babcock-Vlcek Co. In 1938, Babcock formed the Babcock Airplane Corp. at De Land, Florida and during WW II built Waco CG-4 assault gliders. Babcock left the aviation industry in 1945, and sold the rights to produce his LC-13 to Bartlett Aircraft Corp. at Rosemead, California. Bob Babcock passed away on February 13, 1972. The following designs carried the name Babcock:

Derived from the side-by-side two-seat cabin monoplane Babcock-Vlcek X Airmaster, the LC-13A featured an open cockpit and an enlarged vertical tail. It was powered by a 75 hp Roché L-267 four-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line engine. Originally designed and manufactured by Rover of Lansing, Michigan, the manufacture of the 267 cu.in (4.38 l) engine was taken over by Jean A Roché of Dayton, Ohio in 1932. Note the auxiliary fin on the underside of the stabilizer, which had to be fitted according the Aircraft Type Certificate 2-389."