Interstate: The History of the Cadet S-1 Maker
Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation was a small American aircraft manufacturer. It operated from April 1937 to 1945 and was based in El Segundo, California. First called Interstate Engineering, the company changed its name to the Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation around July 1937. The company built a new aircraft plant next to Los Angeles Municipal Airport and began operations there that same month. In August 1938, Don P. Smith became the president, and by mid-1939, the company had 100 employees. In a 1940 court case, the National Labor Relations Board ruled against the company. It ordered the company to stop discriminating against employees who joined the United Automobile Workers union. A few months later, the company created the Cadet, a two-seat monoplane, with production starting in July. The Model S-1B was updated to the XO-63, later renamed the XL-6. The US Army Air Forces received a total of 259 XO-63/L-6/L-8 series aircraft. The company planned to produce 900 aircraft each year.
