The first Bird Wing took McCrum and his assistants 63 days to build at a cost of US$12,000. The prototype flew over 5000 passengers over a period of 15 months. Charles Lindbergh flew the plane for 45 minutes of his lotted hour of time in St Joseph during his stop in St Joseph, MO during his 1927 tour. The second plane was also powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine. The 3rd plane was the first Imperial powered by a Wright-Hisso engine the fourth and fifth planes were powered by Wright J5 Whirlwinds. The US Army ordered 50 Imperials to be used as trainer, the order was cancelled due to the depression. The company was taken to bankruptcy court by it's creditors in Jan 1931. The company's assets were sold at auction in February. McCrum revised the plans for the Bird Wing again in the 1950s to install a 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Juniorradial engine and a 3 inch fuselage widening to convert the design into an agricultural aircraft which never went into production.[2] St Joseph News Press/Gazette
Among the many pilots who flew the Bird Wing were Hap Arnold and Charles Lindbergh. McCrum offered comprehensive flight training courses which included flight training in a Bird Wing as well as construction of the aircraft from scratch. The Bird Wing Imperial was tested to meet a 1931 requirement for a United States PT trainer. 50 orders were placed, then canceled at the beginning of the Great Depression.
4. Oct 1927 Popular Aviation
5. Jun 1927 Aviation
6. Nov 1958 Sport Aviation
7. Dec 1958 Sport Aviation
^Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Inc., New York; Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America; Aerospace Industries Association of America; Aircraft Industries Association of America. The Aerospace year book.
^ abcSport Aviation. December 1958. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^Grey, C.G., ed. (1928). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1928. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd. p. 197c.
