Came to the U.S. in 1910 and built his first successful aircraft in 1913, a parasol monoplane with a propeller in front, wing in the middle and a tail aft.
Opened a flying school in 1914 after teaching himself to fly a monoplane.
His 1916 design became state-of-the-art for its time and won 13 first place prizes in the four meets in which it completed.
Worked for the Wright Aeronautical Corp in 1924 and designed the Wright-Bellanca WB-1 and WB-2. The WB-2 was later renamed the Columbia.
Started his own company, the Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, where his Miss Veedol aircraft completed the first successful non-stop Pacific crossing in 1931.
Bellanca aircraft set the trail for international commercial aviation.
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Enshrined: 1973
Birth: March 19, 1886
Death: December 26, 1960
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