Stevenot and Croft approached the Curtiss Company with their business proposition and negotiated a franchise as the company's Far Eastern representatives. Along with another investor, Lt. Carrol Stein, they organized the local arms of the Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Corporation, and the Curtiss School of Aviation and bought three Jennys and two Seagulls. They established the Curtiss School of Aviation at Camp Claudio on the outskirts of Manila. In addition, Stevenot and Croft recruited the services of Robert Johnson as chief mechanic for the new aviation school. The Curtiss School of Aviation was established near the beach where they would be able to take advantage of the water and utilize the wide and packed sand as a runway. Camp Claudio was the former training camp for the Philippine National Guard Infantry. It was named after Private Tomas Mateo Claudio who joined the U.S. Army and served as part of the American Expeditionary Force in France. In 1918 at the battle of Chateau-Thierry in France, Private Claudio was killed. For his heroism on the battlefield, the Philippine National Guard named its training camp in his honor.

Once the Curtiss School of Aviation was established, Major Stevenot approached the Governor General of the Philippines, Francis Burton Harrison, with a proposal, "to instruct and train Filipino military officers as pilots." The United States had long planned to grant the Philippines its independence in 1945. Harrison knew that for the Philippines to become an independent Republic, it needed not only to establish itself economically, but would also need to be able to protect itself. Military aviation would therefore be an important part of the Islands' defense and internal security. The Governor General agreed to fund the training of 30 aviation cadets, all of whom would be drawn from the officer ranks of the Philippine National Guard and Constabulary. In addition to the 30 military aviation cadets, Stevenot and Croft accepted 10 more civilians as cadets. 

An air Service Curtiss F-5L flying boat in its final stages of assembly and rigging. 
Both Liberty engines have been mounted.