The Pheasant H-10 biplane, one of only three known to exist, is currently housed at the Wiggins Family Museum in Memphis, Missouri. On Saturday, August 23, the community broke ground for a new hangar to display the aircraft.
The Scotland County Historical Society will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the hangar that will house the Pheasant airplane on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 3 p.m. at the Downing House Museum Complex site, 311 S. Main St., Memphis, Missouri.
In 1927, flight school operator Lee R. Briggs mobilized community members in Memphis, Missouri, to incorporate a company for aircraft production. The Pheasant Aircraft Company, an American aircraft manufacturer based in Memphis, was officially incorporated under Missouri state law on June 27, 1927, with the goal of designing and building modern production airplanes.
The first aircraft produced was a three-seater designed by Orville Hickman. Harold Phillips of Memphis served as the test pilot, while Roy Moore of Lomax, Illinois, worked as the master mechanic. At its production peak, the company was building one unit per week. The Pheasant Flight engine was developed in-house specifically for the H-10 aircraft.
Following the death of Briggs in a training accident on December 5, 1927, the factory temporarily closed. Production resumed in January 1928 after the company reorganized. Most of the aircraft were built in 1928, with 36 units constructed in Memphis.
In August 2011, Ronnie Brown of Memphis discovered an advertisement for a Pheasant H-10 for sale in Trade-A-Planemagazine. The aircraft was located on Long Island, New York, and the discovery sparked a dream to return the plane to its birthplace.
In January 2012, the Pheasant Airplane Committee of the Scotland County Historical Society was formed. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of local citizens, businesses, and organizations, the committee successfully raised the $75,000 needed to purchase the aircraft. A recovery team—Ronnie Brown, Lew Prather, Stanley Myers, Fred Clapp, and Rodney Mulvania—traveled to New York in April 2012 to bring the plane back to Memphis.
Today, only three Pheasant H-10 airplanes are known to exist: one in a museum in Wisconsin, one in Canada, and one in Memphis, the original home of the Pheasant. The local aircraft is currently housed at the Wiggins Family Museum, located at Highway 136 and Knott Street in Memphis.
