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ion of twenty all-metal Junkers monoplane to be imported to the United States. The art of all-metal aircraft construction was gaining rapidly and this assignment provided Kirkham with much valuable experience.

On his return he formed the Kirkham Products Corporation, utilizing the former James V. Martin factory in Garden City, Long Island. The incorporations were Charles B. Kirkham, President; H. T. Booth, Vice-President, and A. L. Thrust on, Secretary-Treasurer. Booth and Thurston were former engineers with the Garden City Division of the Curtiss Company. The Kirkham Products Corporation planned to undertake special aircraft projects and do aviation contract work, with parts machining a specialty. By 1924 they had completed a special 5-seater, all-metal monoplane flying boat for wealthy New Yorker Harold S. Vanderbilt. This was followed by a special gull-wing monoplane and its all new 9-cylinder 180 H.P. Radial air-cooled motor for pioneer aviator Leonard W. Bonney. This plane was completed and delivered to Bonney in 1927. At that time they were also building a special, high-speed racing biplane for Lt. Alfred Williams, powered by a Packard 24-cylinder 1200 H.P. motor. This plane was built with both leaned and water interchangeable landing equipment and later set a speed record of 322.6 M.P.H.

In 1929 Kirkham completed a new 6-cylinder flat opposed-type aircraft engine, undoubtedly the first of a type of engine in general use today, for personal and corporate aircraft. It is not known how long the Kirkham-Booth-Thurston team remained together, but by the early 1930’s the firm was known as the Kirkham Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation of Farmingdale, Long Island, New York. For a time he occupied part of the Fairchild aircraft plant and helped Fairchild get started on some of his projects. In 1932 pioneer aviator Robert Simon joined Kirkham as Vice-President.

In 1934 Kirkham moved the business to a shop formerly occupied by the Fulton Motor Company in Farmingdale and advertized “Contractors to the U. S. Army, Design and development work, Sub-contract aircraft work, parts machining, heat treating and plating facilities”. In 1938 the firm was re-organized to become the Liberty Aircraft Products Corporation, Farmingdale, with Kirkham and Simon in partner-