American Eagle A-129

The American Eagle Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1925. Tiring of the worn-out Jennys and Standard trainers, Ed Porterfield, the founder, sought new design ideas from several aeronautical engineers of the day. Beginning in 1928, the American Eagle went through several modifications over four years. The onset of the Great Depression severely curtailed production and finally, forced the company into bankruptcy in 1931 after completing a remarkable 700 aircraft. The assets were purchased by the Lincoln Aircraft Company which also struggled during the Depression. Porterfield later founded Porterfield Aircraft Corporation. 

When new, this American Eagle flew in Massachusetts. The pilot was enamored of a young lady and demonstrated his ardor by rolling the wheels on the corrugated roof of her father’s garage.  It was painstakingly restored by the late Bob Love in the 1960s and eventually purchased by Paul Richards of Poughkeepsie, NY, who donated it to the Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum in the early 1990s.

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