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BRITISH AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS SINCE 1908

Günter Endres

With historic names such as Hawker, de Havilland, Supermarine, Avro, Handley Page and Vickers at its core, the British aviation industry has a long history that stretches right back to the dawn of powered flight in the sky. But it has not been a story of the major manufacturers alone, there were the many pioneers who sought to develop and manufacture aircraft, often at the cutting edge of technology, whose names are now lost in time; builders are just as important in many respects as the major companies that survived.

Without the home-grown aviation industry Britain could not have fought the Battle of Britain, it could not have taken the offensive to the German cities through the aircraft of Bomber Command and could not have been at the forefront of the development of jet propelled civil aviation. Despite this, the future of aircraft manufacturing has all too often been determined by short-term political decisions and by the relatively small scale nature of many of the companies involved.

In British Aircraft Manufacturers Since 1908, Günter Endres provides an outline history of many of the aircraft manufacturers that have produced both civil and military aircraft in Britain. Each entry is also accompanied by a brief resumé of each manufacturer's products, which, combined with a remarkable photographic selection, give the enthusiast and aviation historian alike a concise guide to the history of aircraft building in Britain.

For all those interested in aircraft and the companies that produced them British Aircraft Manufacturers Since 1908 is an essential work of reference.