The Fleet Model 2 biplane was named for Major Reuben H. Fleet, the guiding hand at Consolidated Aircraft at the time. Fleet Aircraft Inc. was set up by Consolidated as a subsidiary and headed by Lawrence D. Bell, later famous for the line of aircraft bearing his name.

In 1928, the Fleet line of aircraft was developed by Consolidated Aircraft of Buffalo, New York to supplement the company’s PT and “Husky” series of training aircraft. It was not a derivation of the PT design, for it was new throughout; whereas the PT and “Husky” airplanes had been primarily slanted to meet the requirements of the military. The Fleet was intended from the start to be essentially civilian.

The Fleet 2 and its predecessor, the Fleet 1, were built for strength and maneuverability. The Fleet Model 2, which cruised at 90 mph, was an ideal trainer; by 1930, it was being acquired by flying schools across the country. The Fleet 2 soon gained a worldwide reputation as a flying classroom. Approximately 200 aircraft were produced for civil use, along with 16 for the Army, six for the Navy and 13 for Argentina.

With a 100 horsepower Kinner K-5 engine installed, the aircraft also doubled as a sports plane, and could perform virtually any aerobatic maneuver within the ability of the pilot. In 1930, stunt flier Paul Mantz astounded the aviation world by achieving 46 outside loops in a Fleet 2. The previous record for this abnormal maneuver, strenuous for both plane and pilot, had been 19.

The Museum’s Model 2 was built in 1929 by Fleet Aircraft Inc. in Buffalo, New York. The airplane is painted blue on the fuselage, vertical tail and struts, yellow on the wings and horizontal tail, and has a black engine with a natural metal propeller. The Registration of “C600M” appears in large black characters atop the upper starboard wing and below the lower port wing, and also in yellow with smaller characters on the rudder. The Fleet logo appears above the rudder registration. This aircraft was donated to the Museum in 1978 by Preston “Sandy” Fleet of San Diego, son of Major Fleet, and first president of the San Diego Aerospace Museum.