Pioneering in A New Phase of Aviation Progress, 1952 - 1958

By William E Cobey

This is the untold story about a visionary man, William E. Cobey, Jr., who saw the future of aviation; and wanted desperately to be a part of it.  He used a hands-on approach to finding technological solutions and achieving an aeronautical understanding of a new type of aircraft.  It was the  "Big Challenge."  In 1952, Mr. Cobey was 35 years old. 

 

The story is told through a treasure trove of documents and films of test flights made by Transcendental. They come from Mr. Cobey's collection of his memories as president of the company. The story also includes some commentary from other sources to complement his told story.  Combined they are the history of the story of Transcendental Aircraft Corporation from 1952 through 1958.

 

Mr. Cobey collected newspaper articles and assembled them into an album. The articles are in picture format and included here. They were then translated to word processing format and lightly edited for readability. The goal was to maintain the text with very little change. The newspaper articles here represent all of the articles in his scrapbook.  

 

Mr. Cobey also filmed the testing of Model 1-G and Model 2 on 16 mm film for his own record. As you might expect, there are many rolls of film. We will provide you with a link to an excerpt of the flight of each aircraft.

 

There are many more newspaper articles to be found for sure.  There are more than 70 additional newspaper references.  We will help you with this too.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cobey Publishing
• Release date: Nov 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215118603

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my wife, Patricia Cobey, for her editing the final draft of this book.

.

I also want to give my sincere thanks and  appreciation to the following contributors:

.

My brother, Tom, for reminding me of his own experiences during the 1950s. We remembered it as a prosperous time for the country. Further, he helped me bring the family history and to add the real life experiences of others to the writing. 

.

My sister, Therese, who read an early manuscript and encouraged me to continue to refine it.

.

My uncle, Mario Tatonetti, for giving me some of his personal archived materials and to add his own first-hand experiences.

.

My aunt, Aida Tatonetti, for her enthusiasm in adding details to the personal history and character of the players.

.

My cousin, Jerry Santangini, and his wife, Franni, for listening to my presentation of the book and inspiring changes to the content.

.

The Key Largo Book Club, my wife founded, and its members for giving me reading experiences and the confidence that was needed to accomplish this task.

William E Cobey, Jr.

.

.

President of Transcendental Aircraft Corporation

1952 - 1958

.

Transcendental - Model 1-G

––––––––

See it in flight

.

YouTube Video of Test Flights Model 1-G and Model 2

.

If link does not work, here is the URL address for you to copy and paste into your browser:

.

https://youtu.be/csgHo29w4kE

.

Transcendental - Model 2

.

.

.

.

The Story of Transcendental Aircraft Corporation

.

This is the untold story about a visionary man, William E. Cobey, Jr., who saw the future of aviation; and wanted desperately to be a part of it. He used a hands-on approach to finding technological solutions and achieving an aeronautical understanding of a new type of aircraft. It was the  Big Challenge.  In 1952, Mr. Cobey was 35 years old.

.

The story is told through a treasure trove of documents and films of test flights made by Mr. Cobey. They come from a collection of his memories as president of the company. The story also includes some commentary from other sources to complement his story. Combined, they are the history of Transcendental Aircraft Corporation from 1952 through 1958.

.

Mr. Cobey collected newspaper articles and assembled them into an album. The articles are in picture format and included here. They were then translated to word processing format and lightly edited to enhance readability. The goal was to maintain the text with very little change. The newspaper articles here represent all of the articles pressed into his scrapbook.

.

Mr. Cobey also filmed the testing of Model 1-G and Model 2 on 16 mm film for his own record. As you might expect, there are many rolls of film. We provided you with a link to an excerpt of the flight of each aircraft in the earlier pages of this book.

.

There are many more newspaper articles to be found for sure. There are more than 70 additional newspaper references. We will help you with this too.

.

I will refer to the company’s name hereafter as simply: Transcendental. That is the way the family always referred to it.

.

So, let’s begin with why this story needs to be told.

.

God Bless America

ClipArtBest

Why Write This Book

.

Chaucer’s Dilemma

.

Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales around 1837. At the end of the collection, he begs his reader’s pardon:

.

Here the maker of this book takes his leave.

.

Now pray I to them all that listen to this little treatise or read it, that if there be anything in it that pleases them, that thereof they thank our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom proceeds all wit and all goodness. And if there be anything that displeases them, I pray them also that they blame it on the fault of my lack of wit and not to my will, that would much prefer to have said better if I had had cunning. 

.

Analysis

.

In Chaucer’s own tale of Sir Thopas, Chaucer's portrait of himself is unflattering and humble. He presents himself as a reticent, ineffective, bungling, and clumsy figure who can barely summon a tale to mind. He says we all know the facts of the story and the outcome, but I am telling the tale as I see fit. For our Book (he is referring to the Bible) says, All that is written is written for our instruction; and that was my intention ...."

.

Reference: Sir Thopas - Wikipedia.

This Writer

.

I am William E Cobey III and the son of William E Cobey Jr., President of Transcendental. I was eight- years old in 1952 and heard all the inside stories. Dad was much older than I was, at 35.

.

I had two older brothers, Tom and Bob. Tom was the oldest at 16 years old in 1956. Bob was 14. They both worked at Transcendental in the summer of 1956, and for good reason, neither was renewed the following year.

.

I really don’t care to write these bits of history, but I am compelled to do it as a servant to the real history. I do not claim it for myself, but it is in the interest of getting the storytelling complete. I may have slightly modified some of the research materials to improve readability and give continuity only. None of my changes were intended to change the content. I did what was needed to tie together some of the hanging parts that I know and to put it all in one place.

.

So, give me your leave and forgive me for my inability to tell you if it does not meet your expectations. Remember, I am just telling the story as I see fit.

.

The Book’s Title

.

.

I chose the book title: Pioneering in A New Phase of Aviation Progress, 1952 - 1958 after considering several others. The words came from the title of a hometown newspaper in Fort Montgomery, NY. In The News of the Highlands, it said:

.

Heads ‘Convertiplane' Firm

.

William Cobey, Jr. Pioneering In A New Phase Of Aviation Progress

.

In this scientific age when almost everything imaginable seems to have been invented, a former Fort resident is being hailed as one of the pioneers of a new phase of aviation progress.

.

William E. Cobey, Jr., son of Mrs. Julia M. Cobey of the Fort (and the late Willam E. Cobey, Sr.) is president of Transcendental Aircraft.

.

There is nothing like a hometown story, in a hometown newspaper, about a hometown boy. It’s likely that his mother was the one who interviewed for and helped sponsor the article. She was also the one that helped fund the purchase of the Glen Riddle,  Cobey Airfield and plant site. It is also the earliest and first of the articles my Dad had put into his scrapbook.

.

Indeed, he was pioneering in a new phase of aviation progress. For that matter, it defines his entire career in aviation. It was his life-long ambition. Aeronautics, the origins of flight, was the focus of his being, his passion.

.

Howard Levy, Aviation Photographer

.

.

Photograph of Model 1-G taken by

Howard Levy of New York

At Bellanca Airfield, New Castle, Delaware

29 January 1955

.

Howard Levy (1921-2010) was one of the nation’s outstanding aviation photographers. Levy took his first airplane photograph at Floyd Bennett Field in 1936 and sold his first aviation photograph in 1937. His work spanned from 1936 until his last photo shoot in May of 2009. He photographed aircraft at factories, airports, museums, and air shows, including the Paris Air Show, which he attended for 30 years. Levy’s work appeared in dozens of publications, including Smithsonian, Air Progress, AOPA Pilot, Kitplanes, Look, Sport Pilot, and Air & Space. Levy was also published in many European flight magazines. In 2003 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Symposium of Photographers.

.

Reference: The Howard Levy Photography Collection | National Air and Space Museum (si.edu)

.

Just Out of College

.

.

The Cobey-Waite Engine

.

Mr. Cobey (my Dad) is associated with the Cobey-Waite engine. His adventure into the small hobby engines was just out of college. The engine was used to propel small model aircraft. It sparked the beginning of his aeronautical engineering career along

Reviews for Pioneering in A New Phase of Aviation Progress, 1952 - 1958

[Wild Willie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

BEST book ever. Trust me. I know a good book. Buy them for gifts and extras too. *Disclaimer: I wrote the damn thing.