In 1914, Bellanca opened a flying school at the airfield, where one of his students was Fiorello LaGuardia, the future mayor of New York City. In 1920, he created the CF, an airliner that could carry four passengers in an enclosed cabin. The CF entered three major performance contests in 1922, won them all, and earned a reputation as "the world's best airplane." Unfortunately, the market was then glutted with surplus WW1 airplanes, and Bellanca couldn't sell his record setting aircraft. He was hampered, as well, by a lack of capital—most of his backers were small businessmen from Brooklyn's Italian neighborhoods. In the early 30's he tried to interest the US government in a bomber project the 77-140, based on his successful Aircruiser civil transport. The Aircruiser's single, nose-mounted engine was replaced by twin engines on the upper wing. The United States military were not interested in the type, but the Columbian airforce bought a small number, most were the 77-320. The Aircruiser was considered by many pilots to be the most efficient single engine aircraft ever built. It was one of the few aircraft that could carry it's own weight.
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