• Folland Aircraft Ltd

British Marine Aircraft Ltd was formed in 1936 to produce Sikorsky flying boats under licence in the UK. It was located on the Hamble Peninsula, Hampshire, and had a slipway into Southampton Water. The Sikorsky deal, however, fell through and the company was sold to Henry Folland, formerly chief designer for Gloster Aircraft Co Ltd, who renamed it Folland Aircraft Ltd in 1937. Initially Folland Aircraft Ltd was involved in manufacturing aircraft components, including 35,000 major- and sub-assemblies for a wide range of British military aircraft. The first true Folland aircraft to fly was the FO108 in 1940.  Further designs were subsequently tendered to meet the research requirements of investigating the issues of landing aircraft on sea-borne carriers. Henry Folland left the company due to ill-health in 1951, handing control to William Petter, later chief designer for the English Electric Lightning and Canberra. Petter immediately set about the design and production of the Midge, a lightweight jet fighter, which first flew in 1954. The Midge was followed a year later by what was to become Folland's most famous and successful aircraft, the Gnat. Folland Aircraft Ltd diversified during the 1950s with ventures into cushioned-air products. In 1959 it was taken over by Hawker Siddeley Group, which in 1963 dropped the Folland name.