MARTIN

Glenn L. Martin started car repair business at Santa Ana 1905, and 2 years later flew homebuilt glider from beach. By 1909 taught himself to fly with homebuilt pusher aeroplane and, giving up business, set up as aircraft manufacturer, incorporated Santa Ana 1911 as Glenn L. Martin Co. Moved 1912 to larger premises on Griffith Park, hired several employees and went into production with variations on Model T tandem-seat tractor biplane land/seaplane. Army TT stayed aloft 7 hr 4 min with pilot and 2 passengers. September 1916 Wright and several other companies were merged with Martin to form Wright-Martin Co; this displeased Martin who withdrew October 1917 and set up under original name in large plant at Cleveland. Built 10 GMB (Glenn Martin Bomber), or MB-1, followed by Navy MBT and 20 MB-2 (plus 110 by rivals who underbid). Supplied Navy with SC scout bombers and T3M and T4M torpedo aircraft. Moved 1928 to even larger plant at Middle River, Baltimore, where produced stream of landplanes, seaplanes and flying-boats and, in January 1932, classic Martin Bomber. This stressed-skin cantilever monoplane had retractable gear, flaps, gun turret and performance higher than any Air Corps fighter; 359 built for Air Corps (most as B-10) and export. Large long-range Type 130 flying-boat for PanAm led to Type 156, Type 162 Mariner (PBM), JRM Mars, P5M Marlin and XP6M SeaMaster. Martin Bomber in many versions led to Type 167 Maryland, Type 187 Baltimore and Type 179 Marauder (B-26), latter also built by Martin Nebraska Co. at Omaha which also built 536 B-29s. Martin also delivered over 15,000 aircraft gun turrets. Post-war built AM Mauler, XB-48 6-jet and XB-51 3-jet bombers, P4M Mercator, 202 and 404 civil transports and 403 B-57 derived from Canberra. When last P5M left factory 20 December 1960 President George M. Bunker said, "Martin has sloughed off its emotional attachment to the airplane". Renamed The Martin Co., produced Titan ICBMs, missiles and space launchers, merging 1965 to form Martin Marietta Corp. which built X-23, X-24 and SV-5 lifting bodies. Martin Marietta Corp. merger with Lockheed Corp. in 1995. See Lockheed Martin.

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