Aeronca 50 Chief

The Aeronca Model 50 Chief is an American light plane of the late 1930s, developed in 1938 in answer to consumer demand for more comfort, longer range and better instrumentation. It was powered by a 50 horsepower Continental, Franklin or Lycoming engine, and the line grew to include the 65 horsepower Model 65 Super Chief and the Model TC-65 Defender, a flight trainer with its rear seat nine inches higher than the front for better visibility. The 50C was an improved KCA with enlarged wings and a wider cabin, and 248 were built. In November 1938 a 50C made the first non-stop flight by a lightplane from Los Angeles to New York City, covering 2,785 miles in 30 hours 47 minutes.