In 1916, the Maryland Pressed Steel Company hired Giuseppe Mario Bellanca to develop a two-seat biplane with intention to sell examples to the government during the war effort.

[1] Bellanca had previously designed his own parasol aircraft in Sicily, bring the examples to New York to test fly.

The Bellanca CE was a two-seat biplane using ailerons for roll control rather than wing warping of its predecessor.

Although an example was built, the aircraft did not go into full production after the end of World War I brought a halt to new contracts.

to Glen Falls, New York commenting that Bellanca gave very conservative estimates of its performance and did not exaggerate its capabilities.