Benoist
A St. Louis pioneer whose little flying boats carried the passengers of the world’s first scheduled heavier-than-air airline, from St. Petersburg to Tampa, in 1914.
Benoist: the company and the aircraft that made its name
A parts dealer becomes a builder
Thomas W. Benoist started in 1908 with the Aeronautic Supply Co, the first supplier of aircraft parts. In October 1911 a fire destroyed the factory and all its records. He regrouped and in 1912 formed the Benoist Aircraft Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Over the next five years it built 106 aircraft, from land tractors to flying boats, and from 1913 production moved into the St. Louis Car Company works run by E. B. Meissner.
The first airline
Benoist’s fame rests on one type. On 1 January 1914 a Benoist XIV flying boat opened the St. Petersburg to Tampa Airboat Line, the first scheduled heavier-than-air airline service anywhere in the world, with Tony Jannus as its pilot. Other XIVs toured America giving exhibitions and joyrides. The year before, Benoist had planned to enter three aircraft in the Great Lakes Reliability Tour; one was wrecked before the race, and the XIV flown by Jannus broke its propeller and sank while being towed ashore.
An abrupt end
Benoist dreamed bigger. The twin-engine Type XV flying boat was meant for British anti-submarine patrol, with a round-the-world publicity tour and a merger with Meissner to build a thousand. The war scuppered the plan. The company moved to Sandusky, Ohio, in 1917 and dissolved after Benoist’s accidental death that year; Meissner carried on as the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation. The company’s legacy is 106 aircraft built in just five years.
Benoist in numbers
A empresa
- Resumidamente
- Fundada em 1912
- Formed in St. Louis by Thomas W. Benoist
- Grew from the 1908 Aeronautic Supply Co
- Dissolved 1917
Produção
- Mais conhecido por
- Benoist XIV
- 106 aircraft built in five years
- XIV flying boat flew the first airline
- Twin-engine XV flying boat
Hoje
- Agora
- Dissolved 1917
- Ended with the founder’s death
Os números
- Aeronaves construídas
- 1061912–1917
Every notable Benoist aircraft
| Aeronave | Papel | Primeiro voo | Construído | Status | Observação |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benoist Headless | Biplane | 1910 | 1 | Aposentado | |
| Benoist Land Tractor Type XII | Biplane | 1912 | 5 | Aposentado | |
| Benoist XIV | Flying boat airliner | 1913 | 2 to 5+ | Aposentado | Flew the first scheduled airline service, 1 January 1914 |
| Benoist C | Twin-engine floatplane | 1915 | 1 | Aposentado | |
| Benoist XV | Twin-engine flying boat | 1915 | 1 | Aposentado | Pitched to Britain for anti-submarine patrol |
| Benoist XVII | Touring biplane | 1916 | 1 | Aposentado |
Where Benoist built, who led it, what it achieved
Fábricas
- St. Louis works · St. Louis, Missouri — Production moved into the St. Louis Car Company factory in 1913
- Sandusky works · Sandusky, Ohio — Operations moved here in 1917
Pessoas
- Thomas W. Benoist · founder — Founded Aeronautic Supply Co in 1908 and the aircraft company in 1912; died in 1917
- Tony Jannus · pilot — Flew the Benoist XIV on the first scheduled airline service
- E. B. Meissner · industrialist — Ran the St. Louis Car Company; continued as St. Louis Aircraft Corporation
Recordes e pioneirismos
- First scheduled heavier-than-air airline service, St. Petersburg to Tampa, 1 January 1914
- Aeronautic Supply Co was the first supplier of aircraft parts
Benoist, year by year
Benoist founds the Aeronautic Supply Co
Factory and records destroyed by fire
Benoist Aircraft Company formed in St. Louis
Production moves to the St. Louis Car Company factory
Great Lakes Reliability Tour features Benoist seaplanes
Benoist XIV opens the St. Petersburg to Tampa Airboat Line
Twin-engine Type XV flying boat flies
Move to Sandusky, Ohio; company dissolved after Benoist’s death
Everything people ask about Benoist
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Around Benoist
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Verificado em 03/10/2026.