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Fairey Aviation

Fairey Aviation:Fairey Aviation Company logo

The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Heyes (Middlesex) and Heaton Chapel/Ringway in Greater Manchester. Notable for a number of important planes, including the Fairey III family and the Fairey Swordfish it had a strong presence in the supply of naval aircraft..


Contents

History

Founded in 1916, the company's first craft was the Fairey Campania, a patrol seaplane that first flew in February 1917. Fairey subsequently developed many aircraft and post Second World War, missiles.

The government in the late 1950s was determined to see the UK's aero industry "rationalised". The ministry of defence saw the future of helicopters as being one sole provider. The merger of Fairey's aviation interests with Westland Aircraft took place in early 1960 shortly after Westland had acquired Saunders-Roe and Bristol's helicopter division. Part of Fairey became Fairey Engineering, which became Williams Fairey Engineering in 1986, then taken over by Kidde in 2000, and is now known as WFEL. Still based in Stockport, the company designs and build portable bridges for military and emergency services use. Its bridges are in service with the British Army,U.S. Army and many other NATO forces.

Light Engineering

In the post-war period, from the late 1950s onwards, Fairey Engineering developed a range of automotive products. Fairey had a close working relationship with the Rover car company, making capstan winches and free-wheeling front hubs for Land Rover vehicles, the designs for which Fairey had acquired when it bought Mayflower Automotive Products, including their factory in Tavistock, Devon. In 1975 Fairey designed and manufactured a mechanical overdrive unit for Land Rovers. Vehicles fitted with the unit carried a badge on the rear saying 'Overdrive by Fairey', with the Fairey logo (see above). This branch of products effectivley ceased in the early 1980s when new product development at Land Rover and a trend for mnufacturers to build accesories in-house forced Fairey to drop out of the sector. The American company Superwinch bought the Tavistock works and continued making the Fairey-designed winch for a few years. The site is now Superwinch's European base and manufacturing facility. The Fairey Overdrive is still in production in America.

Aircraft

Date of first flight in brackets

Missiles

Factory brass band

In 1937, workers at the Fairey aviation plant formed a brass band. For some sixty years the band was associated with the company and its successors, although the Fairey Band has now had to turn to external sources for financial backing. Throughout its history though the band has retained its identity with the company under guises as the Fairey Aviation Works Band, Williams Fairey Band and later Fairey (FP Music) Band. The band has recently returned to roots, rebranding as just The Fairey Band. The Fairey Band won many national and international titles throughout its proud history.

See also

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Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom

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