Crusader Aircraft Corporation (Shelton Flying Wing) 1937

Beautifully engraved certificate from the Crusader Aircraft Corporation issued in 1937. This historic document has an ornate border around it with vignettes of an airplane and a knight on horseback. This item is hand signed by the company’s vice-president and secretary and is over 68 years old.


Certificate Vignette



CRUSADER was a small, futuristic airplane that astonished and amazed the world during the Great Depression. Its magic touched the hearts and minds of all who came to know it, including Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst, Jr. Its rich story ranged from aeronautical inspiration, to courtroom drama, to business intrigue. Was it also the victim of industrial espionage and governmental collusion?

There is a book written about this company called The Story of the Shelton Flying Wing by Alexander Roca. The website link is http://www.airplanebook.com/home.htm.

1935: American Gyro Co, Denver CO. 1936: Crusader Aircraft Co, Glendale CA.

Crusader 1935 = 4pClwM; two 125hp Menasco C-4; span: 36'0" length: 21'8" load: 1000# v: 233/210/55 v (single-engine): 150 range: 600. Thomas Shelton. Originally called Shelton Flying Wing and Gyroplane. All-metal construction. Twin-boom, twin-tail empennage with a nacelle fuselage; panted wheels modified to retractable in 1936. Plans sold to Timm Aircraft Co to build proposed 7p retractable-gear AG-7, but financing problems prevented further development.