Alexander P. de Seversky was Russian bomber pilot 1915, shot down and lost leg, became third-highest-scoring fighter pilot 1917, air attaché in USA 1917, wisely stayed on and became DoD test pilot and Gen. Mitchell’s special advisor, US citizen 1927 and major in Air Corps reserve, whilst running Seversky Aero Corp. (June 1922) to manage consultancy and produce aero equipment. In January 1931 formed Seversky Aircraft Corp., relying on brilliant stressed-skin designer Alexander Kartveli to translate founder’s ideas into practice. Produced SEV-3 high-speed amphibian seaplane with landplane version, these leading directly to BT-8 trainer, Executive business transport, P-35 fighter (197, 1936-40), 2PA Guardsman 2-seat fighter (74) and AT-12 and XP-41 fighter prototype, but in October 1939 company, by now in large factory at Farmingdale, Long Island, NY, was renamed Republic Aviation.