The Ryan ST family of aircraft (including the ST, STA, STB, STM, STK and STW) were some of the most popular and successful lines of civilian sport airplanes in history. First introduced by the San Diego company in 1934, the original ST (sport trainer) design was a two seat, open cockpit monocoque fuselage aircraft fitted with a 95-hp Menasco B4 inverted inline engine. Only five were built before Ryan introduced its peppier successor, the STA. Fitted with either a 125-hp Menasco C4 or 134-hp Menasco D4 engine, the STA helped the ST line reach its true potential.

A total of 66 STA’s were manufactured, with an additional 31 STA-Specials which featured a super-charged Menasco C4S Pirate engine for even higher performance.

The Ryan model STA was a metalframed, wire-braced, low-winged, open cockpit monoplane with seating arranged for two in tandem. Patterned like a racing airplane, the STA was actually a sport-plane at heart, but it could be adapted to train student pilots. The Ryan School of Aeronautics had several model STAs in its lineup and it was used from the first maneuvers of a fledgling pilot to the advanced maneuvers of expert aerobatics. The flying school that used an STA in its lineup was assured of extra business.

The STA was loved by pilots for its speed and elegance and attained international acclaim in 1937. Competing against the world’s best aerobatic flyers, famed Hollywood stunt pilot Tex Rankin flew his Ryan STA to victory at the 1937 International Aerobatic Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Pilots set transcontinental and Canada-to-Mexico records in the STA. The Guatemalan Air Force armed them, covered the front cockpit and used them as fighters. The plane also saw service in South Africa, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia and China. The success of the STA led to additional ST variants that featured engines with even higher performance. The military recognized the STA’s potential, and in the late 1930s, placed orders for the trainer derivatives: the PT-16 and PT-20.

This Ryan STA was donated to the Museum by none other than T. Claude Ryan himself, the founder of Ryan Aeronautical Company. Mr. Ryan purchased the aircraft from Aaron Berkowitz of Arizona in April 1979, specifically for the Museum, to help rebuild its collection after the devastating fire in 1978. Ryan’s estate officially donated the aircraft to the Museum in December 1982 after his death.