H.G. Hawker Engineering Co. Ltd. Formed 1920 from the remains of Sopwith Aircraft. Named after ex-WWI pilot Harry Hawker, who formed the new company with some of the former directors including Tom Sopwith. Hawker was killed the following year competing in a Nieuport Goshawk racer & Sopwith took over the reins.

Name changed to Hawker Aircraft Ltd in 1933 & Hawker Siddeley Aircraft in 1935, finally becoming Hawker Siddeley in 1960. Chief Designer - the brilliant Sidney Camm - reponsible for the classic range of Hawker biplane fighters & light bombers through the WWII Hurricane, Typhoon & Tempest. This line ended with the incredible Sea Fury before his classic jets - Sea Hawk, Hunter, Kestrel, Harrier & finally his valued input on the Tornado MRCA just before he died in 1966. http://user.tninet.se/~ytm843e/camm.htm

This famous company became the basis of British Aerospace (BAe) when the British aircraft industry was ruined in the mid-1960s.

You might have guessed that Hawker is my choice of favourite aircraft manufacturer. Sir Sidney Camm is my nomination for best aircraft designer of all time.

<typos>

Aero Commander 560 is the favorite airplane I've flown and Aero Commander is probally my favorite company too, doesn't even compare to the Citation flying wise. Once you learn to taxi them they're the best flying aeroplanes out there............

My favourite planes are:

#1 - Fairey Firefly
#2 - Fairey Barracuda
#3 - Supermarine Spitfire V
#4 - Candair CL-41
#5 - Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet

numbers are not an indication of rank, just to limit me to 10 machines
1: Su-37, Ultimate agility in a good-looking airframe
2: MiG-31, even if it's oficially a little slower than the foxbat, it still is faster than anything the west can offer
3: YF-23, looks better and is a better stealth compared to the F/A-22
4: Su-30MK with -FU engines, the thing the KLu should have bought instead of the F-35
5:B-1B, best looking stealth
6: Concorde & Tu-144, you know why
7: Tu-114, who cares about noise abatement... a prop that does M.80
8: EE Lightning
9: Spitfire, later big-engine models
10: Il-2, best ground-attack machine of ww2

Favorite aircraft of all time: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina. I don't know why it is it just does something to me every time I see one. It is outdated and antiquated but there is nothing better than a vintage plane, they just have something about them that anything modern can't beat. Maybe one day I can see a real one, I hear that there is one in a museum near me so I might just have to plan a trip. 

Kevin

Quote:


Charlie, once upon a time there was an aeroplane called the P.1127,  which then became the Kestrel both of which were built by Hawker,..........
........history goes deep...........
http://www.harrier.org.uk/history/

Quote:



Indeed, quite right, I was just simplifying things...


Charlie

E.E. Lightning 8)
DH. Sea Vixen 8)
Hawker Hunter 8)
McDonnel F-101 Voodoo
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
Grumman F-14 Tomcat 8)