Mystery Airplane Contest - April 2025

Allen H. Meyers (1908-1976) started in aviation as a sheet-metal man and worked for Vought in Long Island, Martin in Baltimore, and Stinson in Wayne, Michigan. He'd learned to fly at Curtiss Field in an OX-5 powered Jenny, and later spent time as a barnstormer. By 1936, he'd set up his own Meyers Aircraft Company in Tecumseh, Michigan.

His first successful design was the Meyers OTW ("Out to Win") that was manufactured for the Civilian Pilot Training Program established under the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. The OTW biplane, along with the Waco UPF-7 and the Ryan PT-21 and PT-22, were built to support the CPTP. After Pearl Harbor, the CPTP was replaced by the CAA War Training Service. These programs were designed to provide a cadre of civilian pilots who would, after military training, become the core of the gigantic pilot training program during World War II.

After World War II, Meyers focused on a two-seat, side-by-side taildragger initially called the Model 125. In 1949, this sleek little sport plane was revised as the Model 145 with 145 hp Continental six-cylinder air-cooled engine. The Model 145 was not built in great numbers (22 from 1948 to 1955) but was instead built to order for Meyers' clients. With a top speed of 166 mph, service ceiling of 18,000 feet, and a normal range of 600 miles, the 145 proved an excellent aerobatic plane with fine flying characteristics. The structure of the 145 was designed for maximum crash-survivability. The type certificate (TC 3A1) for the Meyers 145 was acquired by the Micco Aircraft Company in 1994. Owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Micco produced an up-rated version with 200/260 hp. It is a fully aerobatic sport plane.

With more practicality in mind, Meyers followed the Model 145 with a four-seat 240/260 hp Model 200, after 1965 known as the Aero Commander 200. Capable of over 200 mph, with a range over 1000 miles, the Aero Commander 200 was produced for nine years.

I photographed N190E (c/n 209) at Oshkosh in 2023. It was tied down close to the Red Barn. Its sleek looks, red paint, and clean retractable landing gear looked decidedly modern for an aircraft dating from 1950. N190E is listed by the FAA with John Ricciotti of Barrington, New Hampshire.

This month's winner Dave Lundren admitted he looked up the N-number. (It's not the first time I've left the registration in view.) Bob Heavirland knows a guy with a later Meyers 200. Gary Kuhn also knew the Meyers, as did Ed Wells. Thanks, gentlemen.

Spring is here! Fly safe. Fly sane. Brief well before flying. Blue skies.