STOUT

William B. Stout established Stout Engineering Laboratories at Detroit 1919, producing Batwing 3-seat monoplane with blended wing/fuselage (200-hp Packard) and ST-1 torpedo bomber for Navy (2 x 398-hp Packard). In 1922 formed Stout Metal Airplane Co., with strong design team led by George Prudden. Following year produced 1-AS Air Sedan, lumpy short-span corrugated high-wing transport with OX-5 and 4 passenger seats. This led to much better 2-AT Pullman (3 December 1924) with 400-hp Liberty and 8 passenger seats. Sold in numbers, so firm bought August 1925 by Henry Ford (son Edsel had from start been director), producing 3-AT 8-seater with 3 engines. Ugly lash-up, soon replaced by outstanding 4-AT, first of the Ford Tri-Motors, but by this time (1928) Stout had been replaced by Howard Hicks: see Stout (1929).

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