Triplane to Typhoon
Aircraft Produced by Factories in Lancashire and the North West of England from 1910
James H Longworth
A fascinating account of aircraft production from the early days of flight through to the present day
Superb photos including aircraft in the skies over Lancashire and the North West of England
350 pages, over 280 photographs (many in full colour), hardback, 30.5x21.5 cm (12x8½ inches),
published 2005 by Lancashire County Developments Ltd with support from BAE Systems
Lancashire County Council press releases: Taking It to the Top! (2 December 2005), Triplane to Typhoon (24 November 2005), Lancaster on Target in Vision Plane Competition (11 January 2006)
Flying off the Shelves, an article in the County Council's magazine Vision (1,079kB PDF)
The Lancashire Profile's Research Monitor on the Subregion's Aerospace Heritage
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Selected Contents:
Author's Introduction
1 Gravity Defied
2 Controlled Flight
3 The First World War 1914-18
4 The Inter-War Years 1919-39
5 The Second World War 1939-45
6 Post-War – 1945 to the Present Day
7 Postscript
Aircraft listing; Map and Timelines; Company histories; Industry restructuring; Bibliography; Index
From the Author's Postscript: However optimistic their views on the future of aviation, the pioneers of flight at the Blackpool 'Flying Week' and 'Flying Carnival' of 1909 and 1910 could hardly have foreseen the scale of the industry that would develop in Lancashire and the North West... At the start of the second century of manned, powered flight, aerospace today is sufficiently long established to have its own almost overwhelmingly diverse heritage of personalities, factories and aircraft... The legacy is that of thousands of individuals – designers, industrialists, test pilots, aircrew and thousands of production workers. Over the decades they have striven to harness new technologies and materials, to respond to the demands of politicians, Service Chiefs and airline operators in war and peace, in times of relative isolation and as partners in European and transatlantic collaborative ventures. It is a tribute to them all, especially those who laid down their lives in building that industry, in flight testing or subsequent service use of the aircraft it has produced. Altogether their efforts and those of more than 30 producers in the region amount to a total output approaching 50,000 aircraft representing over 150 types in the North West since 1910... The facts and figures of today's industry are dazzling. After more than four decades of rationalisation and consolidation, primes such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce Aero-Engines and Airbus are now at the core of the largest cluster of aerospace, defence and related companies in the UK, a world-scale centre of excellence quite the equivalent of Seattle in the USA or Toulouse in France... Altogether the cluster of primes, OEMs, subcontractors and suppliers represents a critical mass of advanced technology, production capacity, expertise and skills employing on the most conservative estimates 60,000 people. Its gross annual output exceeds £6 billion, a third of total UK aerospace production... Triplane to Typhoon encapulates the region's story at the forefront of every technological advance in nearly a century of aircraft development. It is a story of industrial achievement second to none.
From the Foreword by Councillor Terry E Burns, Chairman of Lancashire County Council: [Triplane to Typhoon] provides a detailed and accurate record of around 150 types of aircraft built in the area, the majority of which were also designed here. Altogether, the men and women of Lancashire and the North West have built some 50,000 aircraft in the region since 1910. Military and civilian, large and small, these aircraft serve as a lasting testimony to the dedication and craftsmanship of a workforce at the forefront of aerospace design, innovation and development... [Jim Longworth's] knowledge, enthusiasm and attention to detail are evident in this account, which is illustrated with more than 250 excellent photographs. Triplane to Typhoon is a fascinating and inspiring story [for those who] have worked in the industry, those who plan to make aeronautical and related engineering their career and those who simply have an interest in aeroplanes and their engines, Lancashire and its region.
About the Author: Jim Longworth, FRSA, was born in Bolton, Lancashire, and educated at Bolton County Grammar School and Queen Mary College, University of London, where he gained a BSc Honours degree in Geography, specialising in industrial and economic aspects... He is a member of the BAE Systems North West Heritage Group at Warton and of the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust at Derby. He has worked on regional planning, land use, industrial and economic development matters in Lancashire and the North West throughout his career, latterly as Head of the Industrial Development and Promotion Unit of Lancashire County Council. Having a long-standing interest and involvement in aviation matters his responsibilities involved promoting Lancashire's aerospace industry at the Farnborough International and Paris Air Shows. He now writes on industrial and aviation heritage subjects. He is married with two daughters and lives in Grimsargh, Preston.
Buy Triplane to Typhoon now for £19.99 - available from bookshops, Preston Tourist Information Centre or direct from Lancashire County Council.
Send a cheque for £24.99 (including £5.00 P&P) made payable to Lancashire County Council with details of your order to Lancashire County Council, Policy Unit (T2T), 3rd Floor, Christ Church Precinct, PO Box 78, County Hall, PRESTON, Lancashire, PR1 8XJ.
Also available online from Ian Allan Publishing and The Aviation Bookshop.
BOOKSELLERS
To order copies of Triplane to Typhoon, phone 01772 534147
Triplane to Typhoon would make an excellent prize, award or special gift. Presentation cards are available free on request.
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While stocks last! A limited number of copies of James H Longworth's Classic and Modern Aero-Engines associated with Lancashire and the North West of England are still available. The perfect companion to Triplane to Typhoon, this paperback book, published in 1999, has 45 pages and over 50 photographs, many in full colour. 30x21 cm (12x8½ inches).
Selected Contents: The Early Years, The First World War, The Inter-War Period, The Second World War, Frank Whittle and the Jet Engine, Enter Rolls-Royce, Post War to Present Day with Rolls-Royce, Metropolitan-Vickers-Manchester's Contribution to the Jet Engine, Napier-Liverpool's Links with the Gas Turbine, Summary and Postscript, In Profile-20, Bibliography.
You can get Classic and Modern Aero-Engines for £6.95 (including P&P) or buy both both books at the discounted price of £25.00 + £5.00 P&P, a saving of £1.94. To take advantage of this special offer, send a cheque for £30.00 to the address above.