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crackups by the new pilots, started a breach between Laird and Moellendeck that kept widening until conditions became so unbearable that [[crossed out]] he [[/crossed out]] Laird resigned in 1923 and sold his interest to Moellendeck, including the trade name "Swallow.¨ During the period Laird had been in Wichita he also designed and built four other planes, the Laird "Limozine" with two Curtiss OX engines, the clipped wing Laird "Swallow Racer," the Laird "Swallow" with 150 [[crossed out]] H.P. [[/crossed out]] hp., Hispano-Suiza engine, and the single engine "Limozine" with a 300 [[crossed out]] H.P. [[/crossed out]] hp., Packard engine, which was a conversion of the twin OX-engined [[crossed out]] ship. [[/crossed out]] airplane.

Following his resignation and settlement of business affairs at Wichita, Laird returned to Chicago where he again organized the E. M. Laird Airplane Co. Incorporators were: E. M. Laird, President; Lee Hammond, Vice President, and Charles Arens,  Secretary. The Illinois Corporation Law required a minimum of three stockholders so Laird issued one share each, gratis, to Hammond and Arens, both of whom were non-active in the firm. Laird financed the new company personally. [[crossed out]] and h [[/crossed out]] His first plane was called the "Laird Commercial", a biplane for pilot and two passengers, with a Curtiss OX-5 engine. Later this plane was re-designed and powered by a Wright 9-cylinder radial air-cooled engine [[crossed out]] s [[/crossed out]]. [[crossed out]] and [[/crossed out]] These planes were widely used both in competition and air mail service. Laird planes rapidly gained an enviable reputation and national prominence through the 1930's and were used extensively by the young airlines just being established as well as by the growing market for privately owned planes.

Always evident in Laird's accomplishments was his [[crossed out]] great [[/crossed out]] interest and participation in competitive flying and the building of special planes for such events. He designed and built special racing machines for such well known pilots as Jimmy Doolittle, Speed Holman, Ed. Ballough, and Roscoe Turner who won many Reliability, Cross-Country and Trophy Races of that era. Laird's planes were known as "The Thoroughbreds of the Airways" and consistently demonstrated they had that extra something that [[crossed out]] became a habit of [[/crossed out]] repeatedly lead [[crossed out]] ing [[/crossed out]] the pack 

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