The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, USA in 1934. Ryan, previously best known for building Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic Spirit of St. Louis, had been involved in several previous companies, some bearing similar names. The Spirit of St. Louis, however, was not built by Ryan Aeronautical. Northrop Grumman purchased Ryan Aeronautical in 1999. Ryan built several historically and technically significant aircraft, including two famous V/STOL designs, but its most successful production aircraft would be the Ryan Firebee line of unmanned drones used as targets and unmanned air vehicles. Tubal Claude Ryan (January 3, 1898- September 11, 1982) was an American aviator born in Parsons, Kansas. ... Nickname: Americas Finest City Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: Country United States State California County San Diego Founded July 16, 1769 Incorporated March 27, 1850 Government  - Mayor Jerry Sanders  - City Attorney Michael Aguirre  - City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the U.S. Representative from Minnesota (1859 – 1924), see Charles August Lindbergh For Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Junior, see Lindbergh kidnapping Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), known as Lucky Lindy and The Lone Eagle, was an American pilot famous for the first solo, non-stop flight... Lindbergh poses with the famous plane The Spirit of St. ... Lindbergh poses with the famous plane The Spirit of St. ... The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... V/STOL is an acronym for Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing. ... The Ryan Firebee was a series of target drones or unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the Ryan Aeronautical beginning in 1951. ...

Early aircraft

The new company's first aircraft was the Ryan ST or "Sport Trainer", a low-wing tandem-seat monoplane with a 95 hp Menasco B-4 "Pirate" straight-4 engine. Five were built before production switched to the Ryan STA (Aerobatic) with a more powerful 125 hp Menasco C-4 in 1935. This aircraft had enough power for aerobatic display, and it won the 1937 International Aerobatic Championships. A further improved Ryan STA Special was built in 1936, with a supercharged Menasco C-4S with 150 hp. The Ryan ST was a two seat, low wing monoplane that, variously, was used as a sport and stunt aircraft as well a trainer by flying schools and the military. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

These aircraft attracted foreign military interest, and in response Ryan enlarged the cockpit openings to allow for parachutes, calling this new model the Ryan STM. Six were ordered by Mexico, followed by orders from Honduras, Guatemala Ecuador, China and the Netherlands East Indies, many of the latter ending up in Australia after the Japanese invasion. The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands Indië) was the name of the colonies colonised by the Dutch East India Company which came under administration of the Netherlands during the ninteenth century (see Indonesia). ...

In 1937 and 1938 a second civilian aircraft model was introduced, the Ryan SCW-145 for Sport Coupe, Warner 145 horsepower engine. The SCW was a larger three seater aircraft with a sliding canopy and side-by-side front seating. The prototype SCW was originally powered by a Menasco engine, however prototype testing revealed that more horsepower was needed hence the move to the Warner 145 HP, 7-cylinder radial engine for production models. Thirteen examples of the SCW were built, although the last one was assembled from surplus parts decades after the initial production run was finished.

USAAC trainers

Interest from the United States Army Air Corps followed. The Menasco engines proved unreliable, and instead Kinner radial engines were fitted. Aircraft were produced as the PT-16 (15 built), PT-20 (30 built), PT-21 (100 USAAF, 100 USN) and finally as the definitive PT-22 Recruit (1,298 built) ordered in 1941 as pilot training began its rapid expansion. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... The radial engine is an internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel. ... The Ryan ST was a two seat, low wing monoplane that, variously, was used as a sport and stunt aircraft as well a trainer by flying schools and the military. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

Ryan also pioneered STOL techniques in its YO-51 Dragonfly observation craft. Three prototypes were built but no USAAF order came. STOL is an acronym for Short Take-Off and Landing, a term used in the aircraft industry to describe aeroplanes with very short runway requirements. ...

Wartime

In addition to building trainers for the USAAF, Ryan's flying schools trained USAAF aviators in large numbers during the war, becoming the largest private flying school in the USA during that period.

A different task was the development of the advanced FR Fireball fighter, developed to a 1943 US Navy contract. The Fireball was a combined power fighter, with a conventional piston engine in the nose and a jet engine in the tail. 1,300 were ordered, but only 66 were built before the end of hostilities and none saw action. Ryan also produced a derived turboprop/turbojet combination, the XF2R Dark Shark, but no orders came. The Ryan FR Fireball was a composite propeller and jet powered aircraft designed for the United States Navy during World War II. They entered service before the end of the war but did not see combat. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Ryan XF2R Dark Shark was an experimental aircraft built for the United States Navy that combined turboprop and turbojet propulsion. ...

Postwar

In the immediate postwar years, Ryan diversified, including even building coffins for a short period. It bought the rights to the Navion light aircraft from North American Aviation in 1947, selling it to both military and civilian customers. A coffin (in North American English, also known as a casket) is a funerary box used in the display and containment of deceased remains -- either for burial or after cremation. ... The Navion is a light, four-seat aircraft originally designed and built by North American Aviation, later built by Ryan Aeronautical Company and the Tubular Steel Corporation (TUSCO). ... General aviation (abbr. ... North American Aviation, Inc. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Ryan became involved in the missile and unmanned aircraft fields, developing the Ryan Firebee unmanned target drone, the Ryan Firebird (the first air-to-air missile) among others, as well as a number of experimental and research aircraft. The Ryan Firebee was a series of target drones or unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the Ryan Aeronautical beginning in 1951. ...

Ryan acquired a 50% stake in Continental Motors Corporation, the aircraft-engine builder, in 1965. Continental Motors Corporation was an engine manufacturing company that served the automobile and aviation industry in America. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

In the 1950's, Ryan was a pioneer in jet vertical flight with the X-13 Vertijet, a tail sitting jet with a delta wing which was not used in production designs. In the early 1960's, Ryan built the XV-5 Vertifan for the U.S. Army, which used wing and nose mounted lift vans for V/STOL vertical flight. It was flown, crashed after ingesting a test rescue dummy in its fans, and was not made into a production aircraft. The Ryan X-13A-RY Vertijet, Ryan Model 69, was an experimental Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft flown in the United States in the 1950s. ... The Ryan XV-5 Vertifan was a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. ... V/STOL is an acronym for Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing. ...

In 1966/67, Ryan was awarded the contract to build the digital Doppler radar system installed aboard the Apollo Lunar Lander

In 1968 the company was acquired by Teledyne for $128 million and a year later became a wholly owned subsidiary of that company. Claude Ryan retired as chairman with the Teledyne purchase. Teledyne (NYSE: TDY) is an industrial conglomerate primarily based in the United States but with global operations. ...

Northrop Grumman purchased Ryan Aeronautical in 1999. The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Ryan aircraft

• FR Fireball (Unsuccessful)
• XF2R Dark Shark (Unsuccessful)
• X-13 Vertijet (Experimental)
• XV-5 Vertifan (Experimental)
• Ryan Firebee (Successful drone)
• YO-51 Dragonfly