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#11
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Now, this is ironic
Jim Davis wrote:
Percival, Auster, Cierva, Folland, Saunders-Roe, English Electric. Off the top of my head. Which of those were around at the end of W.W. II? Pat |
#12
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Now, this is ironic
Pat Flannery wrote:
Percival, Auster, Cierva, Folland, Saunders-Roe, English Electric. Off the top of my head. Which of those were around at the end of W.W. II? All were. Indeed, English Electric was entering its glory years with the Canberra, Lightning, and TSR.2. I might have added Parnall. It built its last original design in the late '30s and was a subcontractor thereafter for airframes but also the producer of the Fraser-Nash turrets for other aircraft. Jim Davis |
#13
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Now, this is ironic
Jim Davis wrote:
Which of those were around at the end of W.W. II? All were. Indeed, English Electric was entering its glory years with the Canberra, Lightning, and TSR.2. I might have added Parnall. It built its last original design in the late '30s and was a subcontractor thereafter for airframes but also the producer of the Fraser-Nash turrets for other aircraft. If you want to see how the British aeronautical industry died, look at this. You've got around a hundred brilliant design engineers split up around twenty-five companies. Can you imagine, even for a moment, what would have happened if you'd put all these guys under one roof and let them inspire each other? Germany attacks Britain with He-111 bombers with the intention of laying waste to London; Britain responds by attacking Berlin with three hundred foot wingspan Westland-Hill flying wings powered by Whittle turbine engines, and flying at five hundred knots and fifty thousand feet. :-) Pat |
#14
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Now, this is ironic
Jim Davis wrote:
I almost forgot; those Westland-Hill "Pteranodon" flying wing bombers would of course be be based on geodesic framework thanks to Barnes Wallis at Vickers. The Battle of Britain would be over inside of a week. :-D Pat |
#15
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Now, this is ironic
Britain responds by attacking Berlin with three hundred foot wingspan Westland-Hill flying wings powered by Whittle turbine engines, and flying at five hundred knots and fifty thousand feet. :-)
Now thats a nice idea...! Its actually a bit of a myth that the british aviation industry has died... you'd be surprised how many of those names are still around just part of strange european companies with far to many letters in their names... Anyway a couple of years ago i wrote a short history of the industry since 1945 on rec.aviation.military... heres the updated, ammended version... MW A brief history of the British Aircraft Industry since 1945... Armstrong Whitworth: merged with HSA mid 30's. After HS681 vtol hercules competitor cancelled in 1964 plant closes, Factory now part of Air Atlantique, add hoc frieght and vintage aircraft operator. Auster: merges with Miles to form British Execitive and General Aviation Company, "Beagle" Bought by Fisher Pressed Steel, and then closed by HM gov when Fisher become part of britsh Leyland... Avro: merged HSA, then part of BAe, Woodford palnt now final assembly for Nimrod MRA4 Boulton Paul: Aviation activities, mainly aerostructures and actuator work, taken over by Dowty, now part of Smiths Industries Blackburn: Merged with General Aircraft 1949, then taken over by Hawker Sidderly (HSA) then BAe. Brough Factory still extant as main production centere for Hawk, also undertakes JSF and Gripen Work. Bristol: Merged with English Electric, Vickers, Hunting Percival to form BAC. Filton works now Airbus centre of excellence for wing design and composite wing production and european space joint venture Astrium. Guided Missile Activities now part of MBBD. Helicopter interests to Westland, closed 2001. DeHaviland: merged HSA early 60's, Hatfield Plant closed early 90's, Chester plant now split between Airbus and Raetheon. English Electric: Merged Vickers, Bristol, Hunting Percival to form BAC. Warton plant now main site for military aircraft final assembly in UK with Eurofighter, Nimrod, Hawk and JSF work. Fairey: Aviation activities taken over by Westland, Hayes factory close dearly 70's. Fairey now a specialist optical company. Folland: merged early 60's with HSA, plant sold early 90's to management as Hamble Aerostructures, then bought by Dowty, now part of Smiths Industries. General Aircraft; Merged Blackburn 1949, all activities then transfered to Brough. Gloster: merged with Hawkers in the mid 1930's to form HSA. Aviation activities closed early 60's. Hawker: Formed HSA in early 30's with Armstrong Whitworth and Glosters, Aviation activities merged with BAC to from BAE in 1977. Non avaition activities, including Brush locomotives broken up early 90's. All aviation plants, Kingston and Dusfold closed 90's. Handly Page: Recievership 1970, after Sir Fred refuses to merge with other big groups... Miles: Initially goes bust late 40's, assests bought by Handly Page. Miles brothers start up engineering and design consultancy that merges with Auster to form Beagle. FG Miles later goes on to form simulator company, sells out to Link Seigler. Percival: merges with Hunting to produce Hunting percival, later merges with Bristol and Vickers to form BAC. Luton works closed. Saunders Roe: Taken over by Westlands/De Haviland 1959. Aviation interests to Westlands, other activities, notably at Beaumaris to DeHaviland. Cowes works subsiquently merges with the rump of Supermarine to form British Hovercraft Corporation. Company at first jointly owned by Westlands/Vickers, Vickers later bought out by Westlands. After Hovercraft production tails of company specialise in Aerostructures as Westland Aerostructures. Westlands subsequently bought by GKN. Now know as GKN Aviation services. Cowes works recently closed. Scotish Aviation: Bought by Cammel Lairds Shipyard of Birkenhead early 1970's. When Shipbuilding interests nationalised in 1977, SA merged with HSA and BAC to form BAe. After jetstream production ends factory specialises in aerostructures, recently sold to Spirit aerostructures. Shorts. Nationalised company (never part of BAe strangly... ) sold to Bombadier late 80's. Now specialist aerostructures work concentrating on fuselage design for Lear and Canadair as was. Missiles interests to Thales, Armoured cars to Bae Sytems Australia... Supermarine: see Saro. Vickers: Merges with English Electric, Bristol, Hunting Percival to form BAC, then merges with HSA to form BAE. All aviation factories closed. Westland: Took over Bristol, Saro and Fairey's helicopter interests early 60's, merged Agusta Spa 1999. |
#16
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Now, this is ironic
*From:* Pat Flannery
*Date:* Wed, 17 May 2006 20:08:39 -0400 Jim Davis wrote: I almost forgot; those Westland-Hill "Pteranodon" flying wing bombers would of course be be based on geodesic framework thanks to Barnes Wallis at Vickers. The Battle of Britain would be over inside of a week. :-D Pat I certainly wonder what would have happened if Whittle had proper government support when he first mooted his ideas, not having to soldier on on his own for ten years or so. Although I don't suppose a jet-powered Mosquito would have been that safe :-) |
#17
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Now, this is ironic
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