The Menasco Manufacturing Company was founded in 1926 by Al Menasco in Los Angeles; with its first product being a conversion of Salmson water cooled radial engines to air-cooled types. Menasco later became one of the U.S. pioneers in the field of inverted, in-line, air-cooled engines, which improved pilot visibility and propeller clearance. Menasco’s first engine of its own design was the early-1930 4-A Pirate. The Model B-4, certificated in November 1930, was the forerunner of a succession of similar more powerful engines built by Menasco. High-performance Menasco engines powered many successful 1930s racers such as the Ryan ST and Gee Bee Sportster aircraft.

During World War II, the company became the largest manufacturer of aircraft landing gears, even supplying that component for the Space Shuttle, and that became its main product after the war. In 1999 the company became part of Goodrich, now merged with United Technologies.