American Aeronautical Corporation
Coordinates: 40°49′37.8″N 73°41′59.2″W / 40.827167°N 73.699778°W
The American Aeronautical Corporation (AAC) was founded in October 1928 by Enea Bossi, located at 730 Fifth Avenue in Port Washington, New York. Its purpose was to build Savoia-Marchetti seaplanes under license. Licenses were acquired for both the S-55 and the S-56 and both were tested at the Miller Army Air Field, but only the latter made it to production.
The S-56 was first introduced in Italy two years earlier as a three-seat amphibious aircraft powered by air-cooled radial engines in the 90- to 110 horsepower (82 kW) range. The AAC fitted it with an American Kinner engine. Following on the heels of a boom in the aviation industry in America – largely attributed to Charles Lindbergh’s flight in 1927 – it was among the few foreign designs to be manufactured in the United States under Approved Type Certificates (ATCs) and, at $7,300, was also the first low-priced amphibious aircraft on the U.S. market. The size and price of the vehicle appealed to recreational aviators, despite its difficult handling. On water, the plane lacked a rudder; on ground, the plane only had a non-steerable tail skid (that is: no conventional brakes); and in the air, when the wheels were extended, the added drag complicated the steering.
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