Aircraft Step Stool!

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Wed Dec 05, 2012 9:16 am

My wife just found this a a Goodwill Store. It's a pretty neat step stool with aircraft on it. She especially saw the Sikorsky R-5 and Corsair so she got it!

Zachary · **Posted:** Wed Dec 05, 2012 9:27 am

Nice find!

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Now there is a wife to be proud of!

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:30 pm

Now that is one unique item! kool too.

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:36 pm

ah, this is what you got me for christmas! :supz:

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Probably a kid's play table from the early 1950s or so......

Mark H

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 10:48 am

I'd like to say late 40s but the helicopter throws me off. The aircraft recognition going around the table would def. be ww 2 period. It sure could be from the 50s but the lack of a saber jet is odd as well. Plus the fact that half the planes were not used any longer for the time. I'm going to say 1947 top, but the legs were replaced. Thoughts jerry?

JohnB · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:32 pm

The helicopter is the R-5 (H-5 after 1948)) and was being developed at the end of WWII.
Its ff was Aug of 1943. It was designed to be a more practical, useful helicopter than the earlier R-4 and R-6.*

That fits in with the B-29 and silver (not OD) Liberator. Camo paint on bombers was deleted in early 1944. I'd date it to mid 1944 or early 45.
I'd bet good money the design was taken from a wartime poster, magazine art or ad for an aviation supplier.
Do amy of the aircraft have something in common...engine make, instruments, bearings or other component?

*The fabric covered R-4 was basically a production version of the VS-300 prototype developed by Sikorsky. The R-6 was a R-4 with a streamlined fuselage. Both were early helicopter technology.

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:09 pm

Those drawings may have been made from recognition poster images, but that's not what they are about. The red color indicates specific components manufactured by a particular manufacturer- these often showed up in sales brochures and advertisements from the period. If you could figure out who built P-38 horizontals, B-26 wing panels, etc., you could figure out where the the images originated. My guess would be United Aircraft Corporation, overall holding company for Vought, Sikorsky, and others. Neat piece- thanks for sharing it with us.

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:11 pm

If it is indeed that.. a particular company's products, my guess would be on Goodyear. I believe they had a better setup to produce mid-sized components (i.e. wings, horizontal stabs, fuselages) but could be mistaken. Maybe the aircraft being showcased in the center: (B-29, B-24, PB2Y, R-5) were aircraft they wanted to build, being the most up-to date and in production at the time?

Comments? Concerns? Ideas? Questions?

PS. Sweet grab Jerry!

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:08 pm

briggs and stratton? Pratt and whitney??

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

My guess is Vought-Sikorsky. It fits in with the Corsairs and the helicopters.

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:56 pm

bdk wrote:

My guess is Vought-Sikorsky. It fits in with the Corsairs and the helicopters.

No, unfortunately it's not. I'm going to say hasboro toys may have put this out. There was several companies during the war and after that produced hundreds of different toys and items such as this.

JohnB · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 5:55 pm

I agree with the idea put forth by Forgotten Field and myself.
I think he nailed it with the red portions being subcontracted airframe parts.

Note that the Corasir is all red...a huge clue.
Did V-S or United Aircraft have a California factory...many of the planes shown were built in California..Lockheed(P-38 and Loadstar-based twin). Northrop (P-61) and Consolidated.
I can't imagine they'd ship parts across the country. But then again...
Thei east coast factories could supply the B-26 wings and the B-29 parts to Bell in Georgia.

And speaking of subcontracts, I just finished a Beech book and they made wings and nacelles to supply the Douglas A-26 line in Oklahoma.

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:02 pm

The corsair was built in Stratford,ct and Akron, Ohio. That was vought and goodyear a plants. Brewster also built them,( I'm not sure where the plant was,) but I believe their contract was cut short even before the war ended.

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