William Bushnell Stout was a prolific designer of road vehicles and aircraft, including the Ford Trimotor series.

He was founder of the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company and in 1931 designed the Skycar which was specified for easy handling and provided with automobile-style comfort.

[3] Stout attempted to design a simple aircraft that would have controls similar to early model Fords including the ignition switch and the starter button.

[5] The Skycar II of 1941 was a higher-powered version utilising stainless steel construction and twin tail booms.

[6] The Skycar II was evaluated by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) as the XC-65 light transport.