Pioneer St. Louis aviator and aircraft builder Thomas W. Benoist at the Kinloch Field Air Meet in October 1910

Photograph by David M. Boyd, 1910
Reproduction
MHS Photographs and Prints
#26707

History
Thomas Wesley Benoist (pronounced “ben-wah”) was an aviation pioneer in the early twentieth century, working as a designer, manufacturer, entrepreneur, and pilot. He made several contributions to the field of aviation throughout his lifetime, which was cut short by a streetcar accident in 1917.

Benoist’s aviation career began in 1907, when he and his brother Charles established an auto supply shop at 3932 Olive Street. The shop became the first aviation part supplier in 1908, when it became the Aeronautic Supply Company or Aerosco. Business prospered as aviators around the world bought their supplies from the business. In 1909, Benoist began manufacturing airplanes in a new shop at 6664 Delmar Avenue. A year later, he produced three of his own designs and established the Benoist Flying School at Kinloch Park.

While business boomed, Benoist suffered a couple of setbacks in 1910 and 1911. On October 12, 1910, Benoist suffered a brain concussion and lost three of his toes on his right foot after being struck by his propeller at an air tournament in Amarillo, Texas. Almost a year later, an explosion destroyed the Benoist Aircraft Company at 6664 Delmar Avenue. On October 20, 1911, a fire destroyed five planes, two engines, and all of his manufacturing equipment, which totaled approximately $20,000 worth of damage. He reopened the business at 6628 Delmar Street and soon recouped his losses.

In 1913, Benoist began manufacturing his seaplane designs in space provided by E. B. Meissner at the St. Louis Car Company. Around the same time, P. E. Fansler approached Benoist with the opportunity to create an airline service between St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. Benoist accepted and established the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line, Passenger and Express Service, the United States’s first scheduled passenger airline. The service began operation on January 1, 1914, and ceased operation on April 27, 1914, when the tourist season ended.

Benoist moved back to St. Louis and established a seaplane flying school on the Mississippi River. It operated at the Carondolet Motor Boat Club for two years until the Roberts Aircraft Motor Company offered Benoist the opportunity to move to its headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio.

While riding on a streetcar to the Sandusky factory on June 14, 1917, a telephone pole struck Benoist as the streetcar completed a sharp turn. He died within three hours of being struck, thus ending the life of one of America’s foremost aviators.