Westland Aircraft Works of Petters Ltd.
Petters Ltd., formed in 1910 to produce oil engines for motor cars, in 1915, built new factory to produce aircraft for British war effort and called factory Westland Aircraft Works. Ernest Petter, chairman of Petters Ltd. Robert Bruce, designer, Westland Aircraft Works, from 1916 to ca. late 1920s.
Began aircraft production with a contract in 1915 from the Admiralty A.D. to make 12 Short 184 torpedo/bomber seaplanes, the first of which was completed in January 1916. Built over 800 aircraft before WWI Armistice, including Short, Sopworth, Airco de Havilland, and Vickers designs under license. First significant production of original designs was Naval biplane in 1920. Petters officially changed company name to Westland Aircraft Ltd. in 1935. Merger with Finmeccanica (Italy) in 2000 led to new name of August Westland in 2001 and to total Italian ownership in 2003.
Sources
- Gunston, 1993, p234-235, 325-326
- Gunston, 2005, p359, 500-501
- SD305
- 1956FM999
| Names | Westland Aircraft Works of Petters Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Country | Great Britain |
| City | west of Yeovil, England |
| Affiliations | |
| Keywords | |
| Started aero | 1915 |
| Ended aero | 2000 |
| Key people | Ernest Petter, Robert Bruce |
| Wikidata id |
