[1] Although its founder, Earl Dodge Osborne,[1] had dreamed of building airplanes, his first successful product line was EDO floats.

Because of a new innovative design, the use of aluminum rather than wood, and the scarcity of hard-surfaced runways in the 1920s, demand built quickly for the floats.

With the outbreak of World War II, the company's focus shifted, and EDO began to provide subassemblies for military aircraft of the U.S.

EDO built a factory in 1940 on Long Island, designed by the NYC firm of Malmfeldt, Adams & Prentice.

In 1982, EDO Aircraft Corporation made a business decision to divest itself of the EDO-Aire Group, ending a 60–year presence in the aviation industry.

[5] A Wichita Kansas aviation services company, Sigma Tek, was founded in 1983 after its principals had been employed by EDO Corporation.